Rebirth of a Ninja
by Rave Rose of Twilight
Summary: Having a bit of writer's block on this next chapter. I'm officially putting this on Hiatus until I can think again. Until then, I will begin on other projects. If you have any suggestions for the next chapter, PM them to me or post them in a review.
1. Fall of the Damned, Rise of the Legend

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter One: Fall of the Damned, Rise of the Legendary

He could still feel it. The everlasting eyes following his every move, waiting, as a tiger, to spot a single sign of weakness before pouncing on their prey. He could feel himself becoming...tired, a feeling he had long since been familiar with since nearly six years ago on his fourth birthday. October 10th. It just so happened that today was the 10 year anniversary of the defeat of the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune and the death of their beloved Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. It was also his birthday, a day he learned to fear and hate. For some strange reason, the genin exams had been a week early by the teachers, something he found somewhat strange.

Still, despite his constant practice of the Transformation, Substitution, and Clone Jutsus, he still failed, though only because he failed to make enough perfect clones and the written test that caused him such misery. With his head hung low, Naruto marched out of the exam room and sat back down, the Leaf Headband he coveted escaped his grasp once again. As soon as class was dismissed, Naruto walked with a depressed drag of his feet. Tenten Higurashi and Rock Lee, two of his closest friends, walked over to him in hopes of cheering him up.

"Damn it," Naruto mumbled to himself. "Why can't I ever get that damn test done? No matter how hard I study, I can never seem to get the right answers!" A gentle hand landed on his left shoulder while a pair of slim arms wrapped around his waist. A small, barely unseen smile crept upon his unforgettable features.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun," whispered a gentle feminine voice in his ear, rubbing a stray hair from his cheek while also rubbing a single whisker mark gently, causing him to purr somewhat.

Glaring at his girlfriend, Tenten Higurashi, good naturedly, he sighs to himself. "Must you do that to me all the time, Ten-chan? It's bad enough when Hina-chan is with us at my apartment, but in public?"

Hina-chan was short for Hinata. As in Hinata Hyuuga, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan and Naruto's secret girlfriend. He figured it out after catching her stalking him during one of his training sessions. After having a nice chat with her....during which she fainted about 4 times, Naruto unconsciously told her of his troubles after learning of her problems as she talked in her sleep/dead faint. This got the two together as a couple, often spending time with each other in secret. Neither the Hyuuga clan nor the village populace learned this fact, which ensured both of their safeties until they were strong enough to remove any obstacles in their path.

"Come now, Brother Naruto," shouted a young boy with jet black hair and equally black eyes that gave him the appearance of an owl. "This is not the end of your ninja career! Your blazing flames of youth shall not be extinguished by this event."

Naruto scoffed at Lee with a smirk. "Easy for you to say, Brother Lee. You managed to pass the written, taijutsu, and weapons portions of the exam. I only passed the Taijutsu and Weapons thanks to our training sessions. But I swear there was something off about that written test. No matter how hard I studied the textbook and memorized those lame ass facts, none of it was on the test. Nothing about the Kyuubi's death or anything else we've learned during class."

Tenten gasped slightly. "You think they did it on purpose? They made you fail on purpose? For what reason?" Naruto growled deep in his throat.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the same reason I have to use a Henge to get anything from civilian-owned stores and why I got booted from that damned orphanage five years ago. Question is: What is that reason? Why do they hate me so much I have to use skills I've learned in the academy to do things everyone else can?"

That question constantly plagued the trio until they spotted the sun's position in the sky. It was getting late and they all needed to get home before dark. Bidding his girlfriend and brother farewell, Naruto left the park to head to the run down apartment he called home. As he made his way home, he could see the Kyuubi Festival in full swing. If he didn't reach his apartment in the next hour, he would have to sleep in the old abandoned warehouse he discovered as a boy prior to getting his apartment from the old man Hokage three years ago. Of course, he had turned it into his, Tenten's, Lee's, and Hinata's personal training ground and temporary home should things go sour for any of them. This is where Hinata usually slept when ever she ran away from the Hyuuga compound for periods longer than a week.

Naruto knew she would be there today instinctive. Maybe it was because of their bond or because he knew how her father, Hiashi, and others in the clan would treat her. He often told her to separate herself from them. Grow distant until they forgot about her completely. She, however, couldn't do that because she cared for them, despite how they treat her and punish her whenever she fails to beat her little sister in what is supposed to be a friendly spar.

Before his thoughts could travel any further, someone or something had struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious for a short period of time.

As Naruto's eye slowly opened, the smell of alcohol, blood, and steel woke him even more until he finally tried to rub his eyes before a sharp, tearing pain exploded in his arms, legs, throat, and left eye...or what was left of it. The taste of blood entered his mouth as well as an unfamiliar taste that seemed to come from the left side of his face. With a sharp hiss to control the pain, he believed that those bastards had removed his left eye with either a kunai or a spoon while he was knocked out in an attempt to wake him up with pain. Luckily, or not for him, he never woke up through pain. He learned this after an assassin slipped into his room at night and stabbed him, narrowly missing the heart or any vital veins or arteries.

"So the demon's finally awake," mumbled a somewhat drunken man as he waved what appeared to be a kunai with his eyeball pierced through the pupil in his face. "Lookie here. I managed to get a piece of the demon everyone!" Brandishing the blade and eye in the air, the crowd around him cheered.

As Naruto continued to glare at the drunken bastards before him, his mind raced through different scenarios about what he could do to escape from his captors. Various cries of "Kill the demon spawn" or "Finish off the murdering bastard" rang through his ears. Today, it seemed, was definitely not his day. Nothing he could do at his current level of training, would allow him to escape this without either dying in the process or losing his chance at being a ninja through severe physical crippling. Looking at his blood-soaked wrist, he smirked at seeing the tattoo seal beneath the red liquid escaping his wrist. channeling chakra into his wrist, the tattoo glowed a soft red that matched the blood before dying down before those bastards could see or sense it.

Luckily, his short signal to the Sandaime Hokage had been sent without being noticed by those assholes threatening to kill him. "This is where the demon Kyuubi will finally die at the hands of those it had tortured for so many years!" Before he knew what was happening, a deep azure mist began rolling into the area, obscuring his captor's vision.

With a whisper of 'Wind Style: Binding Release Jutsu', the strings of barbed wire were severed, allowing him to fall to the ground softly. He could feel it. His killing intent was rising along with his blood lust. Those bastards...have taken one of his eyes...have threatened him...and came very close to killing him, though since his wrists had been slit by the barbed wire, he doubted he had very long to live anyways. Still, he'd take out as many of them as he could before he died. He'll drag all their sorry asses to hell before he'll die. That was a promise...

….and Naruto Uzumaki always keeps his promises. That's just his ninja way.

Passing chakra through his right eye, the young blond discovered he could see through the mist with great ease. Grabbing the kunai with his destroyed eye still pierced through it, he removed the eye before dashing through the fog, slashing at the Achilles' tendons of every man and woman attending his supposed 'death' before dashing around again slashing at their throats, stomachs, wrists, stabbing at their spines and joints, and throwing devastatingly powerful punches from random spots. One by one, the crowd of almost thirty have been completely neutralized through either death or incapacitation.

Now only one survived and remained awake, though his state was only temporary once Naruto got the information he needed.

Slowly walking up to the man, he could notice the azure fog dissipate, allowing the man to see what exactly he had wrought for his friends. As Naruto's silhouette drew closer to him, he tried to back away in fear only for pain to shoot through his spine, a reminder that he was likely permanently paralyzed from the neck down, the kunai in his spine digging further as he shook.

"So what was that little crack about me being the Kyuubi," Naruto asked as a clearly pissed off expression wrought his young face. "You should know, I'll only torture you longer if I don't like what I hear. I've often heard that being paralyzed is the second worst thing that could happen to a man. Do you really want to discover the first?"

"ALRIGHT," the man yelled, knowing full well what the demon before him spoke about. "Ten years ago, Yondaime-sama sealed the Kyuubi away into a human host. You! That's why we all despise you! Because you are the Kyuubi reborn!" Naruto's remaining eye twitched before a dark red chakra was thrown from his body in the form of a cloak.

Steam began to come from his open wounds, though his empty eye socket remained the same, healing the wounds until they became non-existent. "You IDIOT!" The red Naruto lifted the man up by his collar as he hung limply as a puppet with its strings cut. "I was going to let you live, but then you had to go and say bullshit like that! If a kunai is sealed within a scroll, the scroll does not become the kunai reborn. If you couldn't tell that I was not the Kyuubi, but a true human being, then you truly don't deserve to live." A chakra soaked claw pierced the man's neck, severing it completely before allowing the body and head to fall to the ground.

The battlefield, just outside of Konoha, was soaked in blood both belonging to him as well as his enemies. Body parts lay severed and strewn about as though he was not the target of a massacre, but the mob attending his supposed 'death' was. Using the last ounce of strength he had, Naruto fought tooth and nail to make it to the front gates where an ANBU squad and old man Hokage stood prepared for battle, not the sight of a bloody, cycloptic child with final wisps of red chakra either receding or dissipating into the cool night's air.

Making haste, the Sandaime rushed forward and caught the boy he'd considered a second grandson before taking him to the hospital. There was no doubt in his mind that tonight couldn't get any more fucked up.

Sadly, it was not to be and things were going to change in Konoha. Whether it be for the better or for the worse, nobody knew yet.

Once the Sandaime had arrived at the hospital, several of the nurses and doctors turned to him, smiling as though the day couldn't have gotten better. That was...until they saw who he was carrying. Most of the doctors and nurses who knew of their leader's attachment to the 'demon', simply ignored the boy, praying all the same that he would die due to the injuries it appeared he sustained from another of his more brutal beatings. Others, who knew the difference between Naruto and the thing he possessed, rushed over to him, leading their leader to Naruto's personal hospital room. As the nurses attached electrodes to his frail body and placed an IV into his vein, the doctor was examining him, trying to discover the cause of his state of being.

"Hokage-sama," spoke one of the doctors, Mitora Miamoto, "it appears as though he is suffering from chakra exhaustion as well as some sort of toxin, though it is being burned from his system at an alarming rate. Probably due to his tenant. He's suffered through the loss of his left eye and has bled out quite a bit. I'm surprised he hasn't died yet. Do you believe the demon is behind this because I cannot find any other possible reason for his continued existance."

The Third sighed deeply. "Yes. It is possible it's working off of its own survival instincts, using its chakra to replenish Naruto's blood as well as healing his limbs from their previous wounds, but the demonic chakra isn't visible anymore. Why hasn't Naruto-kun woken up yet?"

The doctor placed her glowing green hands above Naruto's head, sweat dripping from his brow until he gasped, releasing his concentration and compromising the jutsu. "It's...his brain, Hokage-sama. He's got several concussions, but that's not what surprises me. There's a thick veil of chakra surrounding his brain, sending more of the demon's chakra to the rest of his body, including his missing eye socket. It feels like he's...mutating Naruto's physical structure."

The Third, however, didn't react immediately to this news. It only brought him further into his confusion. _'Why is the Kyuubi sending chakra to his brain and eye socket? Is it trying to regenerate his eye? Is that even possible?'_

"It also appears as though he possesses...a bloodline," spoke Mitora in a hushed voice. Looking into his single blue eye, all could see the appearance of a heavy blue fog moving across his eye, contrasting, yet complimenting the bold and bright color in a way only one clan could possess. "So what I though all along was true. He truly is _her_ son." Even though the Third could understand where the young doctor was coming from, her venom at the mere thought of her name sent a shiver down his spine. "It only makes sense. He looks so much like his father, but his personality was too close to Kushina's personality before she found out about the sealing for it to be a coincidence."

Sarutobi knew he was in a pickle. Mitora Miamoto had been one of Naruto's more vocal civilian supporters having been both a shinobi for eight years and his personal physician for the majority of the young boy's life. Now that she knew of Naruto's parentage, the old Fire Shadow could see her trying to adopt the bright young boy before her with more gusto than he had ever seen before.

"Even though you know of his parentage, this does not change the fact that the council will not allow you to adopt Naruto-kun." Mitora sighed, a silent sob reaching her throat. She'd always cared for Naruto, even going as far as to teach him and his friends a few things she knew from her old shinobi days or hanging out with him during her time off or when he was placed in the hospital for some foolish reason as another senseless attack.

"You know, Hokage-sama," she whispered with a tear streaming down her cheek. "I doubt Naruto's going to be the same after this. If you refuse to tell him about his _family and tenant_ soon, I just might tell him myself. He at least deserves to know why he's both alone and hated after all that has happened to him."

"I know, Mitora. I've often thought about telling him when he was eight, after he failed the graduation exams for the first time, but the thought of him hating me...I just couldn't bare it. I decided that I'd rather be loved for what I don't tell him than hated for what I do. But now, it seems like I have no other choice in the matter. I can only hope he does not hate me for hiding this from him."

"Until the time he wakes up, I'm afraid all we can do are wait and see what the demon has in store for him." Mitora sighed, wiping a stray tear from her normally stoic face, and ushered everyone from the room to give the young, defeated blond some room to sleep and breath.

**Inside The Seal....**

As Naruto wandered the dark corridors of what appeared to be a cross between a sewer and a special utilities underground passage, he could feel the growing warmth coming from ahead of him where a blinding light awaited him at the end. Looking over to his sides, he could see several more tunnels that looked exactly like the kind he was in now as well as some odd looking gates with chains and giant padlocks to keep anyone from seeing what was beyond them.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto walked down the corridor, holding back the urge to check out those locked gates, almost fearing was was behind their nearly rusted bars, chains, and locks. As he strode down his chosen path, the feeling of warmth began to surround him, giving him a sense of peace and serenity despite the depressing surroundings he currently found himself in. If he could have it, he'd much rather be walking along the dusty trail that led up to his private garden, a beautiful area filled with various types of flora, fauna, shrubs, and arbor. Animals from armadillos to squirrels filled the area nestled deep within the forest nearly five miles outside of Konoha's gates. The twilight moon shining its cool and calming rays on his head as his bare feet met both gravel and grass. The dew on the various foliage around him gave the most wonderful and natural aroma he'd ever known.

Taking his next step, he found the familiar feel of gravel and grass beneath his shoeless feet. A short breath through his nose revealed the familiar scent of an October night, the dew on the trees and grass, delivering a moist awakening to jump start his brain. Looking around for the instant, Naruto could see the path exactly as he remembered it down to the last pebble and wisp of wind. Knowing what lay ahead, the energetic blond ran down the familiar path, taking him towards his beautiful garden. Not even Hinata or Tenten knew of this spot, though if their relationship progressed further, as he found himself praying to any gods or goddesses that it would, he might consider bringing them to this place. His sanctuary. His safe haven. A blinding light flashed as he passed where the wooden picket fence was always open to the animals of the forest.

Rubbing his eyes, the young blond child cursed the flash of light before reopening them to find...someone in the middle of his garden, laying down while avoiding harming anything other than the grass beneath its back. Naruto smiled. He often remembered having a dream about this a few time. Once, the lump in the middle had been Tenten as she quietly snored while basking in the nearly eternal moonlight. Another time, it had been Hinata, digging a tiny hole in the ground where nothing had been buried yet, and planted a small sapling that once belonged to a mighty oak tree. This figure, however, was much too large to be Tenten or Hinata. Still, he never met anyone other than the two in his dreams and he'd never tell either of the girls that in fear of their...mighty female retribution, should they discover he was a closet pervert.

As he approached the figure, he could see a deep red tail shooting out from the lush garden's inner mechanisms, giving him the impression it was one of the larger, almost dog-sized foxes that normally lived in the forest around them. From one tail came another...then another...then another until a full set of nine tails had risen from the center area. A breath hitched in Naruto's throat as he walked slowly and quietly until he was but a few feet from his target. Quickly pushing away some of the brush from the uncut grass, his hands shaking nervously as he did so, revealing someone he'd never thought he'd ever get the opportunity to see in his lifetime.

"Kyuubi..."


	2. Identity Reforged: Birth of Saito Mazaki

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter Two: Identity Reforged: Birth of Saito Mazaki

"Kyuubi..."

**In The Hospital**

As the red chakra appeared to intensify, a miasma of purple seemed to blend in with the red over his empty eye socket and seemed to be, quite literally, building a brand new, heavy azure colored eye from his genes. The purple miasma swam all over the little blond-haired...or should I say black-haired boy as it slowly turned the bright golden hair into a pure black with crimson highlights. It went from super spiked, like an urchin, to the smooth flowing drape that reached the tips of his shoulders. The blue eye that held the azure fog had also changed into a blood red human eye with a red fog.

Crack! Snap! Crack!

The sounds startled everyone within the room, forcing them to watch as every bone in his young body snapped in several places only to snap back into place seconds later.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiip! Fwoosh! Swish! Swish!

The smell of blood entered the room as a pair of what appeared to be bat-like wings shot out from the little boy's back and wrapped him in a warm and loving embrace while a thick and bushy fox-like tail shot from the end of his spine and wrapped around him after taking a few test swings, giving him the appearance that he was wearing a red fur belt. With the snapping of his bones coming to a halt, the Third as well as several doctors and ANBU could see he now stood much taller than normal children his age. He was about 5 foot 10 inches at the very least. His muscular structure also seemed rebuilt as the young child had the appearance of a fairly well-trained sprinter. A matter of minutes later, the sounds of breaking bones and tearing flesh stopped. For almost an hour, everyone in the room, including a few jounin and ANBU who were reacting to the red and purple miasma around the black-haired, blue and red eyed boy.

"Is...is it over," asked one of the nurses as she slowly walked over to the now comatose boy to see if his pulse was normal considering the twin chakras had effectively destroyed the equipment attached to Naruto's still motionless body. Placing her fingers on his throat and gently pressing, she flinched, expecting the chakra to return and incinerate her where she stood. When she felt a strong, yet slow pulse, she sighed in relief after nearly wetting herself for a moment. "Thank Kami. He's still alive." _'And I'm not a huge pile of ashes,' _she thought to herself.

Doctor Morita, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and most everyone else released a breath they never knew they had been holding the entire time. Morita, after ordering her nurse to go fetch some new equipment, spun around to gauge the reaction of the shinobi around her. Sarutobi's expression was one of calm surprise while others, including a few jounin, had a weapon drawn in rage, fear, or defense of their Hokage.

"Stand down," Sarutobi said, raising his hand in attempt to disarm his ninjas while alleviating their fear of the transformed child before their own eyes. All of them had, indeed, replaced their kunai in the holsters on the small of their back or in pouches attached to their thighs, some of them changed their views of the boy, starting to hate him more now that he showed his true form. However, everyone knew that foxes didn't have wings so they simply began to wonder how he got those strange, black appendages. "So his transformation is over?"

Morita's eyebrow raised itself as she tried to answer her Lord Hokage's question. "I believe so. We'll know after a few preliminary tests as well as some blood tests, but when we learn anything new, you will be the first to know. For now, I can probably safely say that his current status is that he's in a coma that he could wake from anywhere in the next week or two. As I said before, I'll give you updates when we get them."

The third nodded, seeming to accept the answer without a second thought. After dismissing his ninjas, the aging fire shadow decided that it was time for him to turn in as well, wanting to get some sleep before starting on the paperwork again tomorrow. Morita, however, stuck around for a bit, taking up a chair and sat next to his bed, running her pure, unblemished hand through his now fluid hair.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Naruto-kun. If those bastards on the council hadn't kept me or the others from adopting you, I'm sure you would be a lot happier. Even Tsume Inuzuka and Anko Miterashi tried to adopt you at one point, but after being threatened by those ignorant bastards on the council, they quit trying, but kept looking after you in secret." Morito smiled in remembrance as images of Anko slaughtering an entire mob came to mind after one of the first few attacks on his person while in another memory, Tsume and Kuromaru had managed to maul almost everyone in the mob before ANBU decided to intervene, sparing many more villagers from their combined wrath. "They were like mothers when they watched over you as you trained on your own. Tsume thought you were the cutest little thing when you were a baby. Those puppy dog eyes and whisker marks almost made her squeal like a schoolgirl."

A gentle chuckle escaped her soft glowing pink lips. Her hand moved from the black waves of hair to his whisker marks along his cheeks, which she had noticed, had gotten thicker and bolder, giving him both a rugged appearance as well as a fairly feral and adorable appearance, in the opinion of Tsume Inuzuka and Anko Miterashi. As her hands swept through his hair once again, a thick veil of drowsiness overcame her and she fell asleep with her head on his bed.

Hours passed into days and days passed into weeks before Naruto showed any signs of being alive other than breathing. Doctor Morita, Anko, and Tsume had all gathered to visit the boy occasionally, watching him to make sure nobody attacked him and that he was still alive through his own powerful will to live. Even the Third Hokage visited once every other day to talk to him about work, to pray for his health and mental stability, or simply to enjoy the unconscious boy's company while he got away from his paperwork. As soon as a month had passed, Naruto's eyes started to flutter back to life for a moment before the blindingly white room and even brighter white lights stole his vision from him for but a moment.

The ANBU on duty guarding him saw the signs of awakening and rushed off to fetch Anko, Kurenai, Tsume, The Third, and Dr. Morita. In a matter of minutes, the 6 had arrived in time to see Naruto rubbing the weeks of sleep out of his eyes with a look of concern on his face. "Narut...," started Sarutobi only for Naruto's hand to be raised to him and a vile look on his face.

"_That_ is not my name anymore, old man," the black-haired, blue and red eyed boy before them said. "It's Saito Mazaki. I refuse to have anything to do with that whore or her clan." Everyone's eyes widened. He knew about his mother...which meant he most likely knew about his father, a man they knew he held in reverence before now.

"So you know about them," the aged leader said, a hint of sadness resonating through his voice. Naruto's nod and look of disgust told him all he needed to know. "You must understand. If I had announced your heritage to the village, the information would have leaked out and you would have had even more assassination attempts from the shinobi of Iwagakure. I only did it so you wouldn't have to worry about more attacks on you."

For a moment, Saito glared at the old leader before it wilted and he hung his head. "I know, old man. In a way, I'm glad that you didn't tell me back then cause I would have probably gone shouting it to the world. But now that I know the truth from Kyuubi-hime and Kosuke-jiji, I don't want anything to do with them."

Everyone had taken a small, quick breath, gasping at his knowledge of the Kyuubi, but who was this Kosuke person he spoke about. "Naru...Saito-kun, how did you learn about the Kyuubi?" Naruto chuckled.

"Being in a coma, stuck in your mindscape...it's kinda hard not meet the demons I hold. Who do you think helped Kosuke-jiji change me?" Wait! Demons? As in more than one?

"Who is this Kosuke, Naru...Saito-kun," asked a young, feral looking woman with brown hair similar to what his blond hair looked like. Naruto's eyes go from amused to somewhat upset.

"Kosuke-jiji...is technically the Namikaze clan, and in a way, the Nara clan's original founder and gave the first shadow-based bloodline. He was also a four-winged bat demon. Using Kyuubi's chakra, we strengthened and increased the amount of his blood while replacing some of my human blood. If we hadn't have done this, I would be considered a cripple and be technically unable to become a shinobi, something the majority of those council bastards you complain about would absolutely love. That way, if I were to remain a civilian, you wouldn't have any say in my life and they could get away with more than simply beating me." Everyone's eyes widened to unimaginable sizes. Saito chuckled. "I'm not as stupid as most people believe. You of all people should know that hiding ones abilities are key to a shinobi, old man."

Hiruzen smiled at his young, healthy, semi-demonic charge. "That is true, Saito-kun. I'm surprised you knew about the council's intentions since you were never there directly to see or hear their reactions."

"You have to know, old man, that even when I was a baby, someone was always watching. That's how I found out about that whore of a mother of mine as well as my thrice damned father." The spiteful tone caught all but Morita and Sarutobi off guard. It was only to be expected that he resent those who gave birth to him after discovering what they did. "If I hadn't have met Kyuubi, I would probably still cling to the image that the Fourth was a hero and my idol and that my mother had mysteriously died somehow in the attack."

Sarutobi mumbled a curse. All the things he wished to keep from Naruto until he was more mature, the villagers had managed to undo in a matter of hours. "I'm sorry, Saito-kun," the aged leader whispered just loud enough for the young boy to hear. "If I had kept an eye on you, none of this would have happened."

"It would have eventually, old man. I'm not mad at you. You did what you believed was best for me and I can't thank you enough for it." The transformed Saito Mazaki heaved a great sigh before channeling a bit of chakra into his wings and tail, causing them to disappear from view. After seeing everyone's shocked looks, Saito spoke again. "Using a little chakra, I can hide them as tattoos. As much as I am loathe to admit it, I cannot simply walk out of this hospital looking like a fox, bat, and human had some sort of sick threesome in some indescribable way."

This comment earned him a few chuckles as well as a hearty laugh from the old man himself. "I forgot to ask before, but what day is it?"

"November 1st, Saito-kun. Just a few weeks after you activated your bloodline and killed the entire mob alone." Saito chuckled.

"The Azuremyst Eyes aren't my bloodline anymore. Kyuubi changed it and made it more effective. I think I'll call it the Bloodmyst Eye due to the color. The other eye...I'll call it the Shadow Lotus Eye. I don't exactly know how they work, but I have a feeling that the Bloodmyst Eye will be simply a more powerful version of the Azuremyst Eye. I'll be sure to keep you in the loop. Okay old man?" The Third simply nodded his head in agreement before telling him that if he ever needed someone to talk to, he'd know where to find him before everyone save Doctor Morita went home for the evening.

Sighing to herself, she looks back over to Saito who rests comfortably on his back in the bed, both eyes, mismatched in color, yet both held a beauty that could only last while they were together. "Now, Naru...Saito-kun. You know the hospital drills. Lights out by 9:30 PM and you must be asleep by 10:30 PM. If you would like, I could go get a one of your favorite books from the library or I could grab one of those training manuals I've seen you reading after school. Either way, you'll be asleep, then discharged tomorrow morning. You will not be able to train as heavily as you used to since you may want to get used to this new body frame of yours rather quickly. Alright?"

Saito smiled and gave a mock salute. "Yes ma'am, General Lori Morita!" Lori giggled in the way most girls do when a guy acts stupid to impress them or simply to get them to laugh or smile before making her way down the hall to sign out for the night. Now that Naruto...I mean, Saito was awake, she was sure his closest friend and girlfriends would hit the roof when they saw him. Flipping a switch, the lights in the hallway went from blindingly bright to calm and dark, giving the place an eerie feel before locking up for the night.

Unaware to most, the Shadow Lotus Eye began to glow a dull purple, shedding light on the walls around him before landing on an odd-looking book. Its case was dark purple, like that strange snake lady who helped him out a couple of times, but held a feeling of natural peace and quiet. Using a single chakra string, Saito launched it at the book, then yanked his hand back hard. The sound of leather on skin echoed through the hospital floor only to be captured by the shadows within the room.

This was a book he told the old man and that nice red-eyed lady he wanted.

"_One Thousand and One Ways of the Hunter_. Only when I end up in the hospital does the old coot get the book for me," Saito chuckled to himself as he turned the leather cover and began reading from the prologue. After all, the prologue, to him, is like an introduction from the author himself. It allows one to get an insight into the writers state of mind when he was writing this wonderful piece of literature. As a hunter, though different from a hunter ninja entirely, he learned after a week of being in the wilderness alone that he had to live off the land like their great ancestors had before they became...well, before evolution, in a way.

As he read the book, several sets of eyes lay on him, hidden in the shadows of the world around him. All of these eyes had one question in common with one another:

"What will you do with the hand you have been dealt, young one? Will you use this new found power for destructive means or will you use it in defense of your friends, family, and loved ones?"

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Author's Note: While I may have repeated a few things, I wanted to get a certain point across to the readers, namely all of you who read and review as well as those who vote in the poll I've posted. For those who are wondering: Yes. Motoko Aoyoma will appear just like the one in Love Hina, which I do not own. She will fear men after what has happened to her after her capture by slavers later on in the fiction. I will come back to the Mindscape Section later, though I find myself lacking the ability to write long, drawn out meetings and explanations that do not involve fighting or romance. While this chapter is admittedly shorter than my last, I hope it brings you as much happiness reading it as it did me writing it.

As always, I encourage reviews of both kinds, but I refuse to hear things like 'This story had no plot development. You should just scrap your computer and die in a ditch'. I WILL report anything remotely similar to that. Still. Enjoy Chapter 2 of Rebirth of a Ninja and keep sending me ideas. Nirvana12 Pms me with ideas about my current fiction and new ones that are in the developmental stage.

Thank you and good day, readers.


	3. A New Ninja Way: The Dynasty of the Hunt

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter Three: A New Ninja Way: The Dynasty of the Hunter

"_One Thousand and One Ways of the Hunter_. Only when I end up in the hospital does the old coot get the book for me," Saito chuckled to himself as he turned the leather cover and began reading from the prologue. After all, the prologue, to him, is like an introduction from the author himself. It allows one to get an insight into the writers state of mind when he was writing this wonderful piece of literature. As a hunter, though different from a hunter ninja entirely, he learned after a week of being in the wilderness alone that he had to live off the land like their great ancestors had before they became...well, before evolution, in a way.

As he read the book, several sets of eyes lay on him, hidden in the shadows of the world around him. All of these eyes had one question in common with one another:

"What will you do with the hand you have been dealt, young one? Will you use this new found power for destructive means or will you use it in defense of your friends, family, and loved ones?"

For a moment, Saito turned just barely to where his Bloodmyst Eye glanced at the direction of the distant treeline where he swore he saw a figure dart into the village. Without a second thought, the young changeling went back to reading his book in peace. _'If I am going to be a true hunter, I'm going to have to train harder than I have ever trained before. Wilderness Survival Training, taijutsu, genjutsu, a few long-ranged ninjutsu since I don't want to wind up being so damned close to my opponent/target while making handseals. I'll even have to start back up on my senbon training,' _he thought to himself as his attention remained on the book in hand.

_'Then, after getting myself back into shape, I'll have to visit Tenten's father's shop for some specialized weapons for my training. I'll always need senbon so I might as well get some along with a few books on biology and anatomy. Maybe some Medic Scrolls to go with them in case I ever need to do a patch job in the middle of a fight.'_ A smirk rose to his nearly vulpine jawline as he planned ahead for a few 'missions' to get him proper gear and studying material for his trip. School didn't start back up for another year to give students who failed a chance to study and train harder in order to succeed. A year in the wilderness. Alone with only what weapons and books he could carry in his tiny backpack and ninja pouch. _'This is going to be a great learning experience.'_

After reading through the first chapter, the young Mazaki child packed his book away, put on the horrid orange jumpsuit once again before leaving through the window he was glancing at nearly half an hour ago. His long black hair blew like a cape as he continued his downward decent. The feeling of the air against his body was exhilarating to him. He held much the same feeling when he swam in a river just outside of the village walls or when he jogged in the forest near the river. As his body fell, he gathered chakra to the soles of his feet and caught the wall, using his momentum to shoot from the wall and over the rooftops of various buildings. To him, it felt like he was flying and that was all that mattered to him.

Long ago, he used to envy the birds, wishing to be able to fly freely like they do. Use wings forged from chakra to soar above the village as he sped through the clouds and beyond. Now, after a bit of basic training from both Kyuubi and Kosuke, he learned the basic Tree-Walking Exercise as well as some basic Kitsune and Koumori clan jutsus.

As the young changeling began to descend, he performed a front flip, giving him a chance to land on his feet before springing off to another rooftop. This kept going until he reached an unassuming abandoned warehouse. The smell of freshly burnt wood signified someone was either asleep within the almost broken down metallic structure or had just put out the flame after waking up and left to do what they usually did. If it was Tenten, she'd be with her team consisting of Rock Lee and Neji Hyuuga, a young man who Saito grew to dislike immensely due to his view on Fate and his superiority complex as well as his unprovoked hatred of Hinata and the rest of the Main Branch. A smirk made its way to his more fox-like face as he reminisced on the days he'd beaten Neji in a full on Taijutsu Spar.

As he landed, Saito took a few steps forward to steady himself. He never truly got to learn balance in his mind after trying such a feat, mostly causing him to fall flat on his face before his two demonic mentors. The smell of lavender and vanilla filled the air. Hinata. Nobody else held that unique scent he grew so fond of after their first meeting. Of course, back then, Hinata Hyuuga was a shy little girl who usually fainted around him when he smiled at her or even touched her in a friendly manner.

"The dawn breaks before the Twilight Rose in full bloom," he said, waiting for an answer to his cryptic sentence.

"And the Twilight Rose is usually accompanied by its Steel Magnolia and Water Lily as the sun rises to begin another day," came the answer from a shadow within the doorway. Before he knew what was happening, he felt a slight pressure around his stomach before blacking out. When he woke up, he saw Tenten and Hinata with their arms around him. Their own secret password. Only the trio of them knew the code and only used it when there was absolutely nobody within Hinata's Byakugan's range. The pain in his stomach was familiar, but not unwelcome.

"What happened, Naruto-kun," whispered Hinata, who had tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you meet me two weeks ago?" A soft and gentle hand stroked her hair, a way they learned to calm her down when she was in a near-hysterical mood.

"They attacked me again, but they took something from me...I never want back again," Saito said, his voice a more husky, yet serene tone than the Naruto they knew. Looking up, the two gasped when they looked into two different colored eyes. "They took away a burden I never truly knew I had."

"Naru..." but Tenten was interrupted by her boyfriend's finger.

"It's Saito Mazaki now, Tenten-chan, Hinata-chan." His softness returned for a moment before his eyes hardened. "I refuse to carry around that false name anymore. The name my mother and father gave me before abandoning me to this hell." They sat on him...well, laid on him is more truthful. "My mother...my birth mother abandoned me, taking my younger sister with her to probably twist her mind into thinking any Naruto Uzumaki she would meet is a demon who stole away her father from her. And my father...is the one who originally gave me this burden of containing a demon."

It couldn't be, the two thought to themselves. Naru...Saito's father is the Fourth Hokage? What happened to him to cause such dramatic physical changes? "It seems...I have something else that even that bastard, Minato, and his whore, Kushina, didn't know about. In my father's blood...in my blood...is the DNA of a Four-Winged Bat Demon from centuries ago. After discovering Kyuubi sleeping in my mind, Kosuke showed up, looking like a beat up old homeless person in ragged black clothes, which turned out to be his wings."

Hinata gasped and Tenten shuddered. They knew that prior to the assault, Naruto would never have bad mouthed his favorite Hokage, but now that he changed after the attack, it was like he couldn't stand him. Saito, while having a different appearance, was still the Naruto she had grown to love. His fists were clenched, his knuckles turned a pale white. His anger was rising quickly and wisps of black and red chakra seeped from his pores until Hinata wrapped her arms around his waist and Tenten wrapping hers across his chest, binding herself to his back while Hinata took his front. Together, their chakras managed to subdue his more potent yokai.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto looked up at his loved ones and smiled like he used to. "Thank you. Now if you don't mind, summoning their yokai, even accidentally, tired me out. Give me time to rest up and get out of this monstrosity before asking more questions of me." Giving them a small smile he only used around them, Saito used what strength he could still muster and fought his way to his usual futon before crashing onto his pillow, practically dead to the world save for his girlfriends.

_'With this power, I will keep them safe. With this determination, I will never back down from an enemy, knowing that if they get past me, they will hurt or destroy all I care for.'_ It was a motto Saito followed since he could understand what the words meant. _'These villagers call me a demon? Fine. I'll become a demon if that means protecting my loved ones and everything I hold close to my heart. From the shadows, I will break my enemy. I will show this world that nothing will break me. Even if it comes down to it, Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze will die if she becomes an obstacle in my path as will my sister, Kana. Forgiving them will only become a meaningless gesture to them, making them think I am too weak to go through with any threat against them. I will grow stronger...into the demon I have truly become...so Tenten, Hinata, Old Man Sarutobi, the Ichiraku's, and others that will become close to me will remain safe. This is my motto. This is my path. This is my Ninja Way.'_

Those were his last words before falling into the deepest sleep he'd ever know.

As he slept, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current Hokage, had been called into a full council meeting. Likely, someone heard of his little...show and transformation, despite it being a secret everyone would have been forced to take to the grave. As he marched through those towering doors leading into the council's chambers, he ran through different scenarios that could take place in this meeting and found ways of either dodging, breaking through, or reversing the question back to its user. After being somewhat thoroughly prepared, he opened the doors and sat in the Hokage's seat.

"So what is it that the council wants with me today? I'm not in a particularly good mood today, so I suggest getting straight to the point," spoke the wise leader as his gaze landed on the entire civilian council and his three 'advisers'. Koharu and Homura were once his teammates under the tutelage of the First and Second Hokages, the Senju brothers. The civilians were simply wealthy merchants who dealt with the running of the village marketplace, or clans who believed themselves to be superior to everyone else due to their wealth or 'relationships' with high ranking clans.

"The council has convened to discover what truly happened when that odd blue fog showed up during the de...brat's attack," said a civilian with nearly fluorescent pink hair. The Third felt his right eye twitch. The Haruno clan were one of Naruto's most devout antagonists. "As I recall, some of my clansmen were found dead after the mist showed up. I demand answers and to find out who is responsible!" And there it was. Haruno's had an infinitely short fuse when it came to their anger. It was a trademark amongst them.

"Answers? As I recall, you are a civilian and have no right to these answers, but I'll give them to you if only to shut you up. You see, after Naruto was attacked and strung up by barbed wire, I discovered they had removed his left eye with a kunai while he was unconscious. Apparently, he cannot feel pain when he's asleep. Likely an effect he earned from his tenent." Sarutobi's anger was building, but he refused to show it. "After waking up, the mob decided to try and kill him. Luckily, he knew the Wind Style: Binding Release Jutsu or else he very well would have died. During that time, he had awakened a bloodline familiar to Uzu no Kuni: The Azuremyst Eye." As small gasp echoed through the large room, something that made Sarutobi want to smile.

"But only one person came to Konoha with that bloodline," called out a feral-looking woman as her cycloptic canine companion sat beside her, glaring at the old man addressing the council. Sarutobi nodded.

"Yes. It seems that Naruto Uzumaki was Kushina Uzumaki's first born son. It also explains why he was used in the sealing and not Kana Namikaze, her second born." Everyone began to sweat. Naruto was Kana's brother...meaning he was the son of the Fourth. "It also appears that he wants nothing to do with his heritage aside from the money his father gave him in his will. He won't carry the Namikaze or the Uzumaki name any longer and wishes to go by Saito Mazaki from now on."

"HE CANNOT DO THAT," shouted an angry civilian, knowing just what kind of power the Namikaze clan held before they were wiped out by the Kyuubi. "HE MUST BECOME A NAMIKAZE LIKE HE WAS BORN TO BE!" The council began to make a ruckus, which only lasted about half an hour before Sarutobi had had enough.

"SILENCE!" That shut people up fast enough for him to get a few words in. "It's too late to change his mind. It seems, even after learning what his father and mother did to him in the interests of the village and her clan, he has grown to despise them with a passion. As it stands, I cannot reign in that hatred, as you should very well know by now after the constant attacks on Saito by spiteful villagers." This gave some a much more shameful opinion of themselves while others continued to think this..._thing_ was a menace. "I don't have any power in his decisions. His name change will go through and he will no longer be an Uzumaki, but a Makazi. As far as I'm concerned now, this meeting of the council is dismissed." With that, Sarutobi left through the large doors before slamming them shut.

If only he was thirty years younger. Then he could do something to vent his anger, but for now, he had paperwork to do. Afterwards, he's get back to his calligraphy.

Today was the first day of several long lifetimes.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Thanks again to all those who reviewed and answered the poll. Currently, the standings are:

Hana Inuzuka: 8

Anko Miterashi: 8

Kurenai Yuuhi: 7

Fem. Haku: 5

Shizune: 5

Ino Yamanaka: 4

Fem. Kyuubi: 4

Temari of the Desert: 3

Yugito Nii: 3

Motoko Aoyoma: 2

Koyuki: 2

Shion: 2

Rin: 2

Keep the votes up cause it's looking like Hana, Anko, and Kurenai are going to be in the small harem, but Haku and Shizune are tied for fourth. Will I need to make a tie breaker poll? Still, it is a close race and anyone could still win. Keep reviewing. It also seems as though I've won over a few people's hearts with my story with a total of 26 favorites and 32 alerts. Becoming pretty popular, not that I'm bragging. I'm probably on a bunch of other stories favorites lists. Lol. Anyways, I'll keep writing if you keep reading and posting reviews. Till next time, this is your Rave Rose of Twilight signing out.


	4. First Kill as a True Hunter Pt1

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter Four: Betrayal: First Kill as a True Hunter Part One

"I don't have any power in his decisions. His name change will go through and he will no longer be an Uzumaki, but a Makazi. As far as I'm concerned now, this meeting of the council is dismissed." With that, Sarutobi left through the large doors before slamming them shut.

If only he was thirty years younger. Then he could do something to vent his anger, but for now, he had paperwork to do. Afterwards, he's get back to his calligraphy.

Today was the first day of several long lifetimes.

**Months Later....**

After using his recovery time to train with Hinata and Tenten, Saito decided to find weapons he would use as a ninja hunter from the shop Tenten's adoptive parents lived: The Higurashi Armory. He often came by to restock his gear or to get weapon tips from the creators themselves. Senbon were practically the only tool of the three standard ones he'd ever seen higher ranked ninja use. Being tiny, thin, and lightweight, senbon were one of the ultimate ninja tools, in his opinion. Not only was it rare to encounter an enemy who fought using the potentially deadly needles, but because it was so rare, nobody would truly expect it, giving him an ace in the hole.

Now, as he entered the weapons shop, he looked around for things that would inevitably help him in the long run. His first purchase was a compound bow, said to have been forged from the bones of long dead demons and giant animals gone feral. Along with the bow came a quiver of fifty arrows with almost a thousand different arrow head styles ranging from standard to non-lethal (even though they didn't have a true arrowhead, they still managed to pierce the trunk of a training log with a little chakra to the tip) to ones you could use for fishing. He particularly liked the various broadhead styles with either two blades or four. As his eyes wandered over the swords, his blazing eyes ran a bit north along a chain that was dangling from the end of a typical kama with a weight at the end of the nearly 100 foot long chain. Using a chakra string, he latched it onto the weapon before allowing it to fall into his hands. It felt...right for him to hold such an odd weapon.

Next up were fans, something that, while girly in appearance, were quite different when looking at them properly. Grabbing onto a pair of fans, he unfurled them to see a steel blade on the edge, in case things got too close for comfort, and the frame was made from a lightweight steel that made it easy to carry. Supposedly, those with a strong enough affinity to wind, like him, could use the fans as conductors to unleash devastating techniques on their opponents. After he grabbed all of his weapons, he bought about 10 new outfits consisting of a dark green, long sleeved and short sleeved shirts with metallic, chakra sensitive weights and a special gravity seal, dark brown cargo pants with reinforced pockets for his weapons as well as the weights and gravity seals, dark green leather bracers made from the same chakra weights he'd been putting on all of his clothes, as well as dark brown and black steel-toed combat boots with minor weights on them. He also purchased a pair of leather gloves with weights coursing through them.

All in all, looking in the mirror, he'd admit he looked like a bad ass who thrived in the wilderness. Using his saved up allowance from the Third as well as a good chunk of his birthday money, he purchased everything he grabbed and left. Tenten's father gave him a discount since he was always their best customer as well as a close family friend and Tenten's boyfriend. Still, Saito had gotten to the point where he'd mastered his bow and arrow techniques as well as his senbon, but mastering his dual fans and the kusari-kama would be difficult without more elemental training.

Still, that didn't stop him from trying to learn new techniques with them as well as improving his chakra control and control over his five affinities. While water and earth were somewhat easy to master, wind and shadow were harder. His other element barely showed up the first time, but after another try to make sure it was what they thought it was, the Third and Saito learned he had a growing affinity for Wood.

Channeling his chakra once again, the young Mazaki managed to split a leaf halfway up with simply wind chakra before it simply regenerated in an instant. Sighing in slight frustration, he sat down (fell on his ass) and laid against the tree that he used to use to help his chakra control. For some reason, his chakra always seemed to revitalize any plant life near him within a five foot radius of him when he channeled it through his feet. Even if the bark exploded, his chakra would revive it to pristine condition. Thus why he always loved the forest. It gave him shelter a few times when he was young as well as a bounty of food, which he killed mercifully and painlessly before praying and devouring his meal, saving everything he couldn't eat for later.

"Oh Inari-sama. Thank you for this blessing of rice you have given to me freely. As tribute, I offer your foxes protection within my compound and I pray you supply me with the strength needed to protect my friends, my true family, and my loved ones. In your name I bless this meal. Amen." Picking up his chopsticks, Saito dug into the rice and fruit salad he made from the fields nearby his compound on the other side of the gate around Konoha.

Beside him were Tenten and Hinata, both copying their blond love in praying to Inari-sama before eating. Somehow, the three of them found it funny. Praying to the goddess of foxes and rice when Saito himself possessed one her most loyal servants within him. Still, they thanked the great goddess for what they had, including the Kyuubi, who had wondered if being sealed within a mortal child was in Inari's great plans. The trio had trained together when they could or when Tenten wasn't training with Gai and Hinata with her 'family'. The three of them were about as close as a true family could get. While Tenten loved her adoptive parents a lot, she felt herself closer to Saito in a family-like way...as his wife. Hinata, who had been shunned by her family, both main and branch, had grown close to Saito through his leadership qualities, his powerful and caring aura, and his fox-like nature. She too felt closer to an orphan than her own family.

For a moment, the Hyuuga heiress had hated herself for thinking ill of her family like she had been lately, but Saito and Tenten had made her see the light. In the end, she decided to only show her true nature to those who truly cared for her. In doing so, the young bluenette had become more outgoing, nearly quit stuttering, and more confident in her own skills. This is why they considered the four of them, including Rock Lee, who was usually busy living and training with Gai to visit them outside of their tradition of training with one another.

As they ate, sweat trickled from their brows. Todays training had gone off without a hitch and they had each shown one another something they had learned training by themselves. Even Saito had been training to the brink of exhaustion learning the Water Walking Exercise while floating leaves and rocks over his fingers and forehead. He can usually get within five yards of the other shoreline before a surge of chakra interrupts him and causes him to come crashing into the lake. Still, his control was far better than it had ever been before his transformation.

"Saito-kun," called the familiar voice of Tenten as she ate her rice, "I've been wondering, how come you have an easier time with your water and earth elemental training than your wind and shadow training?" Saito chuckled to himself, knowing that this was one of the questions the two of them had been wondering. He, himself, only had clues or theories to work off of.

"Well, Tenten-chan. My best guess would be that since both earth and water are at least tangible, it is easier to feel the chakra forming into their elements. The Bloodmyst Eye doesn't exactly hurt training my water element either. With the wind and shadows, you have to find the flow with the wind and match your chakra's flow with it. With shadows, you'd have to feel the darkness they're made of as well as the light that creates them. Right now, I can only barely match my flow with the darkness, but I have yet to find the light that creates it."

Tenten and Hinata nodded slowly, trying to get the gist of the entire theory pitched to them by their love. Though it was hard to understand, they figured it out after reviewing the theory a few more times. After they finished, Saito decided to call it a day so he could care for the shrine of Inari in their 'home', the same abandoned warehouse that they had often met at when Hinata ran away for a week or two. A large family of foxes had decided to live in the warehouse with them while a family of bats had made their home in an old office with black tinted windows.

Before long, Hinata and Tenten came in and took a shower in the abandoned emergency chemical bathroom as they usually did after a heavy training session. Tomorrow was the first day of school for Saito and Hinata. Tenten would likely be training with Brother Maito/Lee, Neji Hyuuga, Hinata's arrogant cousin who believed fate ruled everything in the lives of man, and Might Guy, a nice, yet somewhat insane taijutsu teacher who had a powerful effect on Lee when he was young and had all but adopted him. Lee had grown even more powerful since they had started training with each other once again after years of not seeing one another.

An ominous wind blew across the village, sending chills up the spines of many villagers and ninja alike. In the warehouse, a sharp pain filled his stomach before the burning became dull. In the soft moonlight, one could barely make out the appearance of a large seal being burned off his stomach by purple chakra.

**Many Months Later.....**

It was the last day of school. The Genin Exams, Konoha's only way for children to become genin as well as ninjas for their village. In what was once an abandoned warehouse, an alarm rang suddenly, causing a rather sturdy, yet lithe fist to crush it while radiating a deep purple chakra before watching recede into his body once again like a vapor or mist. The churning of his more peaceful yokai radiated through his body's chakra system, though his human chakra still fought for dominance, despite the futility in the act as the yokai slowly absorbed his human chakra. Waking up with a rather demonic roar-like yawn, Saito started to move his arms so he could stretch before the familiar weight of his two mates became known to him. On Hinata's neck was a strange, yet exotic mark consisting of a single bat-like wing as well as various other markings. The one on Tenten, however, held the appearance of a pair of tails attached to a fox's body. He marked them a fortnight ago, but they still kept it safe until they were old enough and became more comfortable with at least four more women as mates to their man.

It was something they weren't looking forward to. While Naruto didn't appear to care, it felt wrong to him to have to hold at most eight different women, but Tenten, Hinata, and he had decided to settle with the minimum of six. It still felt like he was betraying them until his first two mates had said that they would be okay with it as long as they approved of the women he thought would be perfect for their humble family.

Now, as he woke up to the glowing visage of his mates, a familiar pang flooded his mind as he used a Substitution Jutsu with a Shadow Clone he summoned seallessly. As soon as he saw he was without the grasp of his mates around his body, it meant they were in a deeper sleep than usual. Normally, they would sense his chakra and cancel it with their own, forcing him to stay in bed for about an hour to an hour and a half to just cuddle.

"Hinata-hime," whispered Saito as he knelt down to his love's ear, "we'll be late for the exam if we don't hurry up." A short mumble later and Hinata was awake, stretching her arms above her head, giving her lover a glimpse of what he would get after they turned fifteen, the legal age for ninjas to get married.

"But Saito-koi, I'm still sooo tired and my muscles are sooo sore," the former-bluenette moaned as she stretched, showing Saito even more of the voluptuous body he so badly wanted. As she bent over, she placed a hand over her more...special area, rubbing it and moaning ever so softly.

His left eye twitched. It was a downright dirty trick. A trick, the two women had quickly realized, he had loved and found hard to break his eyes from. Taking a deep breath, Saito pulled an apple from his pocket while tossing Hinata a pear, forcing her to release her 'pleasure stretch jutsu' to catch said incoming fruit. A loud pair of crunches into the fruits awoke Tenten, who simply pulled out some homemade jerky from animals she hunted out in the wild on her occasional trips into the forest.

Despite their spectacular growth, Hinata and he decided to downplay their strengths and act as they used to before they met one another. Hinata was the typically shy girl who was too afraid of being rejected by Saito to ask him out and Saito was too dense to pick up on Hinata's signs of being enamored with him while being the loud, brash idiot who played pranks on his classmates.

Tenten giggled as the two had their little lust-filled fun for the afternoon before sending them off to get to class as quickly as they could, lest they be late and due for one of Iruka Umino's more 'terrifying' shouting lectures. As the two continued on their way to the Ninja Academy, Saito's gaze seemed to lack the luster it usually possessed the closer they got to the academy grounds.

"Saito-kun, what's bothering you," asked Hinata as she slowly wrapped her arms around his firm, muscular waist. "You've got that far off look like you're talking to Kyuubi-hime or Kosuke-sama." Immediately, the glow in his red and purple eyes returned.

"I was just thinking, Hime, about whether I should pass or fail the test," said the young hanyou as he brushed a red bang behind his ear. "We both know Mizuki hates me, but lately, his whole attitude's been changing. He's been becoming too nice to me for it to be a simple coincidence and it feels as if he's only targeting me because of my true mother and the situation he believes is between us. He thinks I am ignorant of her presence and believes that being nice to me will get me to do something for him where he can simply kill me...or at least try to."

Hinata nodded. For a moment, Saito had been actively seeing the Kyuubi as his mother since the seal burned away with Kosuke's help, allowing Kyuubi a more active role in helping her kit and his mates become stronger than they could imagine being simply to protect themselves, their future children, and their home, despite how much she loathed it for doing some unspeakable things to her kit.

"If you want me to be honest, if I were you, I'd pass. Even if you're right about Mizuki being up to something, if you fail and he comes up to you with a 'make-up test', you aren't guaranteed to make it to genin. If anyone on the council found out about it before you got finished with revealing Mizuki's intentions, you could be banished or killed." Saito nodded.

"You're right as always, Hime. After I pass, I'll keep an eye on him to make sure he's not up to something." Hinata smiled her usual soft, kind, and sensual smile before turning Saito around and pulling him into a fierce kiss. Unable to do anything for about half a minute, Saito began to kiss her back twice as fiercely as she had before, ending the kiss after about half an hour, leaving them with ten minutes until they had to be in their seats. "Damn. Remind me to do that after the exams are over. Maybe bring Tenten-hime into it as well." This only got Hinata to giggle. What Saito didn't know was that Tenten and Hinata had grown closer during the time that he was in the hospital during his transformation after a very deadly beating and had actually had a make-out session with the Steel Magnolia. Of course, Saito would never find out about this, not because of shame, but because the young woman didn't want him getting any...thoughts involving the two lone females should he die somehow in the field.

As they got closer to the academy, Saito slowly put on his mask as Hinata put on hers. Without warning, Saito grabbed Hinata's hand and ran through the throng of people and carts filled with fruits, fish, meat, and various other things. Hinata slowly went with it, allowing her 'shy and timid' mask to be dragged while working up a blush the likes of which nobody had ever seen.

Three minutes left....

Saito ran down the streets with Hinata as though a wild dog was upon them, inching closer and closer with each passing minute.

Two minutes left.....

They were getting closer, but it would be determined in the last leg of the race, as he liked to say.

One minute left.....

**In The Classroom.....**

One minute until the bell rang. Iruka Umino looked down at his roll call sheet, noticing the two people who were currently late. While Saito Mazaki was always late to class...or just barely on time, Hinata Hyuuga was always the most punctual of the two and usually arrived five to ten minutes before the bell. As his trained eyes scanned the classroom, he called out the names once again.

"Hinata Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki," came his somewhat infuriated tone as his eye twitched.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

CRASH!

Before anyone could tell what happened, the front door to the classroom came flying off its hinges toward the front of the classroom...where Iruka Umino, the current chunin teacher, and his assistant Mizuki sat/stood now. Quick handsigns forged with constant practice, the two teachers used the Kawarmi and swapped places with a pair of empty chairs sitting against the wall...which, after being hit by the flying door of doom, had been turned into sawdust.

Standing in the entrance to the classroom was none other than Saito Mazaki carrying a blushing Hinata Hyuuga bridal style while showing off that infectious grin of his after a well-played prank. "Sorry I'm late. Some old lady tried to slow me down by blocking the road with vending carts loaded down with black cats. So I decided that since I was already a bit late, I'd take the long way when I ran into Hinata-chan being attacked by angry pink poodles. After saving her, I decided to hurry into class and let you know I was here by kicking down the door."

Sweatdrops ran all around the class while some even smacked their heads on the desks in either embarrassment or to hide their own blush. It had to have been the worst excuse in the world of excuses!

"Right," said the scarred chunin to the black-haired ninja hopeful. "Will you and Ms. Hyuuga kindly take your seats so that we can start the exams?" With a slight chuckle, Saito took a sead shortly after placing Hinata in the one next to his. Loaded down with senbon, his kusari-kama, and his standard compound bow on his back, the young lad pulled out a whetstone and began to sharpen the spare arrow heads he held in a rather large green case. A few of the genin looked at him in fear while others thought he only did it to look cool and chose to ignore him.

Within the next few minutes, Iruka had already allowed Mizuki to pass out the tests while he explained the purpose of said test. It was a single answer exam based on what they had learned over their period of study during the school year. While Mizuki handed out the tests, everyone knew they were different according to whether you were a kunoichi or a shinobi. During their first year, the kunoichi were split up from the male shinobi to take classes pertaining to their specific gender. Kunoichi, according to Hinata, had to learn flower arrangement, the traditional tea ceremony, and proper make-up application just to name a few. Mostly things one wouldn't need out in the field and would most likely end up getting them killed. The shinobi learned the academy taijutsu kata, how to throw a proper punch or a kick, how to throw a kunai and a shuriken, and how to use the environment as a weapon.

Thankfully, Naruto helped teach Hinata what he learned in the male class, stating that the kunoichi teacher wasn't a fighter, but a stupid girl who, if she ever went out on a real mission, would likely end up being the damsel in distress while her teammates would end up having to save her sorry little ass. Honestly, were they trying to teach ladies or future killers? He was lucky Hinata was never the fan girl kind of kunoichi, who only joined for the boys, unlike Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno. Those two joined solely on the fact that Sasuke Uchiha, a young, angst riddled boy whose family had been systematically slaughtered by his older brother and one of Saito's past teachers, Itachi Uchiha.

**Flashback......**

_Before his second academy failure, Naruto (I'm only referring to him by Naruto because this was in the past. Not the present.) had decided that he needed to work and train where nobody was bound to try and 'help' him. As he threw punch after punch, a cloaked figure sat in the trees, hidden by leaves and other branches, watched his 'unique' taijutsu go from brawler to dance in a matter of minutes. His chakra had slowly eased itself out of his body as his breathing became more relaxed. Punch after punch, kick after kick, the style was remarkable, yet simple. Cunning, yet stupid. Only something a person like Naruto could pull off. As the blows rained down on the training dummies, indentations would appear on various places known to most seasoned shinobi to be vital areas with the least amount of muscular or skeletal protection._

_One time, Itachi had seen a single punch, which appeared to be more of a tap than a full powered blow, had completely and cleanly ripped off the dummy's arm right where the shoulder joint was located. Now while the training dummies weren't completely human, lacking muscular resistance, the young ANBU captain was certain that the blow would rip muscles from the elbow up as well as completely tearing apart the cartilage, rendering the limb almost permanently useless without proper medical attention._

_Clapping was heard from behind him as the young, sweaty blond turned around to face the older Uchiha boy. "Well done, Naruto-kun. You've just about torn that poor dummy limb-from-limb with a little chakra and some well placed blows. I'm surprised someone your age shows such amazing prowess outside of the academy, while appearing the dead last within the very same academy's walls. Tell me. Why do you hide your true nature from everyone?" For a moment, Naruto smirked at the newcomer, causing said newcomer to cock his head to the side._

"_If you're in ANBU, you should know by now, Uchiha-san. When you're attacked as often as I am, you wish to become stronger so it will not happen again. If the villagers knew of my skills, which would be apparent if I did well in school, they would attack more often or in larger numbers." A chuckle escaped his lips. "Right now, you're the fourth person to know my little secret, three of whom are my closest friends. I'm pretty sure that even the old man himself doesn't know about how strong I really am. So what will you do, Uchiha-san? Tell the Hokage, the academy teachers, and civilians and betray my secret?"_

_Now it was Itachi's turn to chuckle. "Why do you say such things, Naruto-kun? Do you not trust me?" The blond scoffed at the question._

"_The Uchiha clan has yet to give me a reason to trust them in their various attempts to destroy me and those I care for. Why should you be any different?" Itachi paled. The Uchiha clan, HIS clan, had attacked Naruto before? Why was this the first he'd ever heard of it? Even the Hokage should have told him...yet he didn't._

_Placing his hand on his ANBU mask's chin, Itachi got into a little thinking pose. "What if I helped train you? If I showed you new ways in which you can defend yourself? Would you trust me if I became your sensei while I was free from missions?" Once again, it was Naruto's turn to think. If an ANBU wanted to train him to get stronger, was it simply too good to accept? Did this strange ninja wish to help him correct his mistakes or simply get close enough to kill him, like others had tried and failed to do?_

_Flip. Fwoosh. Fwoosh. Fwoosh._

_The coin spun in the air while the bright blue eyes the young blond seemed to possess closed, allowing his chakra to guide his hand as he captured the coin and flipped it onto the back of his hand. Heads, he'd allow the ANBU to train him while keeping him at a safe distance until he learned he could be trusted. Tails, he would blow off this once-in-a-lifetime training opportunity while keeping his flaws, hoping to correct them one day in the future._

_Letting his chakra float over the coin, Naruto smiled before placing it in his pocket once again. "I'll train under you, but you must forgive me if I am hesitant to get too close to you. The Uchihas have done their damage and I pray you can help repair it enough to let me trust you." Looking down at the mask, Naruto giggled before looking up. "Ironic that your name and mask possess the same name, brother of Sasuke and son of Fugaku and Mikoto." After saying a faint farewell, the energetic blond disappeared in the trees around him, leaving behind only an apple core as a testament to his even remotely being there._

_Itachi laughed at the little joke Naruto had said before his rather quick departure while still trying to grasp how he knew of his younger brother and his mother and father. "It seems to me, Naruto-kun, that teaching you will reap its own rewards." With a single ram handseal, Itachi disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves._

Flashback End......

Yes. Naruto would meet his old teacher one day soon and he WILL get his answers as to why he killed his family, leaving Sasuke without any relatives save his mother, who was in a genjutsu-induced coma. Even then, Sasuke seemed to ignore the fact that his mother was hospitalized, claiming she was dead to the entire class, of which earned him a rather large group of fan girls, including Sakura and Ino.

Now Saito held nothing against Ino, feeling that she would be much more prepared for a life as a kunoichi than Sakura, though only if she lost the attitude of a fan girl. Sakura, however, seemed like a lost cause. She hardly trained outside of the academy, only doing the minimum amount of work just to get by while studying her books all the time and dieting, something only a civilian would need to do if they ever thought they got too fat or felt they weren't attractive. That is why Saito carbo-loads before doing any exercise, giving him enough energy to burn off any excess fat while building muscle during his strenuous exercise routine. Even Hinata and Tenten did the same thing as he did, though only because they had flawless figures already and because it was healthier than going on some stupid diet that would end up killing you either in battle or off duty.

As Saito straightened up, he gazed down at the test laying face down before him as Mizuki passed by with a smirk on his lips. He and Hinata were sure that he would pass, though the itch to get back at Mizuki for sabotaging his studies wouldn't release him from its euphoric design.

Still, the two knew what had to be done and would seek their revenge on Mizuki at a later date. For now...

The Genin Exam has begun.


	5. First Kill as a True Hunter Pt2

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter Five: Betrayal: First Kill as a True Hunter Part 2

As Saito straightened up, he gazed down at the test laying face down before him as Mizuki passed by with a smirk on his lips. He and Hinata were sure that he would pass, though the itch to get back at Mizuki for sabotaging his studies wouldn't release him from its euphoric design.

Still, the two knew what had to be done and would seek their revenge on Mizuki at a later date. For now...

The Genin Exam has begun.

The scarred chunin, after seeing that all of the tests had been passed out by his trusted aide Mizuki, Iruka lifted up a stop watch, showing it to everyone in the class. "Your time starts now." With a press of his thumb, the watch went from 0 to a minute rather hastily. The written exam had begun to take its tole, judging from how a few students showed signs of sweating under the pressure.

Flipping over his exam, Saito scanned over the test using his hand encased in a soft shell of invisible chakra. The results were expected. The words began to waver until a single pulse of chakra hit it, sending those words into oblivion and replacing them with the answers he knew were on the test. Genjutsu. Probably his best subject next to long-distance fighting and tracking as well as surviving in the wild. With a smirk and a barely noticed glare at Mizuki, his pencil dashed blindly across his sheet of parchment, placing answers in the blanks until he saw the same question he'd always seen on the test.

"What happened twelve years ago after the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune fought the Yondaime Hokage? Explain your answer." Saito scoffed. He knew what truly happened that day, thanks in part to the Nine-Tail's projected memory from before and after it was sealed away within him.

**Flashback....**

_As he looked down at the sleeping, yet absolutely gorgeous fox-woman laying in what he understood was his mindscape, which currently showed a reflection of his desire to see his beautiful secret garden again._

"_Naruto-kun," called the man who had been observing him for some time. As the man fell from the trees, Naruto steadied his gaze to gauge how much of a threat this newcomer was to his and this angel's health. A smirk played across his thin, yet oddly masculine jaw. He wore a tattered robe...or were those wings filled with holes, he could barely tell or care. This man's entire stance was sending alarms ringing in his head. The man was tall. At least six foot five easily. His deep black hair was long, straight, and reached down to just below his shoulders. His eyes were a piercing purple, which held within them a single black lotus flower in full bloom to act as a pupil._

_Naruto readied himself into one of his self-taught stances he reserved for the villagers or bullies while glaring at the man who set off so many alarms in his head. "Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?" While it sounded like a question, this man knew it was a demand instead. The man gave the slightest hint of changing his emotions by slowly taking a breath before hitching it a few times to imitate sniffling, usually done when someone is crying._

"_I'm hurt that you don't remember either of us, Naruto-kun. Has no one taught you of your heritage," he asked, forcing a tear to fall from his left eye. The blond snorted rudely and turned away._

"_If this is where I think it is, then you should already have the answer to that dumb ass question by now, old timer." This, of course, got the new man's eye to twitch slightly. It only showed up when one was caught lying....or when one got really angry/frustrated. This just happened to be the later in spades._

"_So you have visited this place before, Naruto-kun. Why is it that we have never met prior to this time," the man asked, truly curious as to why it was just now that this mortal had met him._

_Naruto shrugged a bit before deciding to lay on his back in the field of flowers. "Probably has something to do with Kyuubi-chan behind me and the amount of demonic chakra that flooded my system, if I were to guess that this nine-tailed vixen is really the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune and not a horrible actor trying to feign sleeping in an open field."_

_This smart ass remark earned him a strike to the back of the head from one of the tails as Kyuubi reluctantly 'woke up' from her little nap. "Damn it, Kit. Stop disrespecting me. I'm the queen of all demons, a being who deserves the respect of some pathetic mortal as yourself."_

"_Riiiight. I'll respect you when you've done something to show me I need to respect you. Remember, Kyuubi-chan. Respect is earned, not given freely just for the hell of it." Once again, a single tail smacked him upside the head._

"_I'll tell you a reason you should respect me for. I've kept you alive since the day you were born. All of the cuts, bruises, broken bones, and near lethal blows you've taken, I've been the one healing them. If it wasn't for me being here in the first place, you'd be splattered across the streets like a wild animal who has grown too strong to be contained or controlled." For a moment, Naruto paused mid-tirade and looked upon the aura of the beastial woman sitting in front of him._

"_I could say something about what you just said, but....I won't. Not only would it be to easy, but I don't even know your side of the story." Kyuubi paused, her breath hitched in her throat. "I don't know what caused you to attack Konoha, but I'll leave you to tell me when you feel up to it."_

_The winged man smirked. Observant. Kind. A smart ass that would put his first child to shame. To him, it felt like this boy had possibly awakened his demonic blood, thus explaining why he was here and in such poor shape. His demonic blood must be miniscule for him to be so weak despite being in his prime._

"_Well, Kit. You have been a lot kinder than most humans would have reacted after learning about me being sealed within them. You don't even fly off the handle and blame me for everything even though you have every right to do so." The redhead took a deep breath and closed her eyes before slowly releasing the breath. "I'll tell you everything I've seen just before I was sealed and after when I borrowed your beautiful blue eyes for a moment. You see, a decade ago, I met this kind-hearted young demon. Even though he didn't have many tails, he was like my Kitsune prince. He was humble, kind, considerate, and rarely believed that violence was the only way to settle an argument. Well, when I went into heat, we mated and I became pregnant with a litter of kits. Three kits to be precise. We were so happy that nothing really mattered to us any more than taking care of our kits."_

"_One of those kits was born with six tails, something most Kitsune don't get until after their first century of life. The others were born with two and four tails, more normal amongst Kitsune, but still rare for a four-tailed kit to be born." She chuckled a bit as the memories rose from the depths of her heart, allowing her once more to enjoy the sensation of giving birth and of the beautiful sight her kits and her mate had given her. "He was looking forward to being a father. If anything, I'd say you are the closest person I've seen that acts just like him. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he got reincarnated rather quickly, though his acts of kindness probably helped him get as far as that."_

_Naruto chuckled lightly. For once, there was probably a demon he could relate to. "Then, when I was gone to get some food for my family, I heard my mate cry out for me. I could feel his yokai increase and his killing intent from the village closest to our hidden den. I rushed over there only to see the corpse of my mate, Nirva, bloodied and brutalized. A man wearing an orange mask who reeked of fire, foxes, and blood was sitting next to a man wearing the symbol of the Leaf Village who reeked of blood, snakes, and mud. I could not see my beloved kits anywhere, so I believed them to be dead. I got so...mad. My heart had broken and all I could do was kill the ones who murdered my family. So I chased them down, hunting them as they had hunted me and my family, before I ran into your village. Too angry to think, I began my attack, trying to sniff out the scents of the two murderers amongst the myriad of scents coming from your village. After that, I was sealed away by the Fourth Hokage, your father, if my assumptions are correct."_

_Trying to keep his anger from boiling over, Naruto played the entire story over including the fact that Kyuubi, and himself for the most part, believed the Fourth Hokage, the one who fought Kyuubi and used him to seal away the demoness, was his father. But the Fourth protected his home, right? Yet he sacrificed a babe, his own son, to a life of hell as the container of the Kyuubi. But if he were Hokage, would he be forced to make the same sacrifice for the good of his country? Probably, but that gave him no right in leaving him an orphan without any kind of back up plan in case the villagers believed him to be the Kyuubi reborn. Instead, he put everything he had on the fact that his love for the village would prove enough protection for the boy growing up with his mother. His mother._

_Looking up, with a semi-furious glare in his steel blue eyes, Naruto looked into the deep crimson eyes of the Kyuubi. "What about...my mother? What happened to her? Certainly the Fourth had to have thought I would be cared for by my mother or else he would have had a back up plan in case the villagers hated me for holding you." Kyuubi looked to the side, a sad look in her eyes. Before he could know what to do, the blond child placed a hand on the whisker-marked cheek of the nine-tailed fox queen. "I must know...what happened to my mother?"_

_A tear fell from her eye as she embraced him while placing her lips next to his ear. "She....abandoned you....with your younger twin sister in her hands. I saw it happen before Sarutobi took you to your first council meeting when you were still freshly sealed."_

_She could feel it radiating off of him. She too was used to this feeling, having known it for so very long. Hate. Pure, unfiltered hate was aimed at those words. But then...the hate started to be replaced with another emotion the demoness was used to. Sadness. Uncontrollable sadness. His arms wrapped around the red-eyed beauty's waist as tears fell from his eyes like a new rain to a desert._

"_Why," he asked her in what felt like a whisper. "Why did she leave me? Why can nothing in my life ever be simple? Why can't I be normal?"_

"_Because, kit. Despite the pain you're in now, if you were normal, then you would never have met two of your mates. If you were normal, you wouldn't be able to help relieve the pain of others because you wouldn't know any kind of pain. It is our experiences that mold us. If it were not for the snake man and his masked friend, none of this would have ever happened and we could never be able to change the world like we can now. I would simply live my life with my mate and kits and you would be with your father and mother and baby sister, never to know your mate Tenten and never able to give confidence to your mate Hinata."_

_Naruto cried for what felt like hours until the water seemed to dry up, refusing to let him shed any more tears. "If...if you'd like,...I could...be your kit....if you be my...mother." Kyuubi too, it seemed, had been crying along with him, showing him that both emotionally and physically, she would always be with him._

_Lifting her bloodshot eyes to meet his own, she smiled before planting a kiss on his forehead. "Of course, kit. I'd love to have....just one more chance at being a true mother."_

**Flashback End.....**

Simply the memory brought a warm feeling into his heart. Though he knew the truth of this question, Saito decided to answer the typical answer they required and not the one that would make the teachers panic and fear him....although that would be a kick ass prank.

A cold chill ran down the spines of all of the teachers, including Iruka and Mizuki, causing their thoughts to wander to the Kyuubi and wondering if he had discovered the truth behind their hatred. They shivered. If, and most likely when, the demon discovered the truth, they were guaranteed to be either pranked without mercy or beaten within an inch of their lives.

As he finished writing the typical answer taught to all academy students, the black-haired boy flipped over his test and slowly fell into a meditative state while radiating as little yokai as he could so he could gather a sense of his surroundings. He could feel the slow and steady heartbeats of the trees outside of the academy walls, the feel of the wind as it danced across his face, the coldness, yet familiarity of the shadows throughout the room. For once, he had believed he had achieved inner peace while allowing his minds synapses to fire off much slower while he gathered the information from around him through his yokai output.

Before long, the thirty minutes were up as Iruka pressed the button while ringing a bell to alert the others they were done and to put their pencils down. Saito looked up in time to watch Iruka go around the class to pick up everyone's tests while Mizuki sat in his desk with a small, barely noticeable smirk on his lips. When he noticed Saito's own smirk after having completed the test, he couldn't wait for Iruka to grade the tests and show that demon exactly why he was the dead last.

A few minutes after all the tests were picked up, Iruka Umino came back out and announced that he was going to announce the results of the test. "Alright. With a perfect score of 25/25, Saito Mazaki!" Mizuki gasped and glanced over to see the 'demon's' reaction, only to find it wasn't surprise, but he could tell that he expected it to happen. The silver-haired chunin glared at the demon, silently cursing his luck before realizing that the next test was a weapon exam, something he KNEW the bastard demon could pass with ease and he couldn't interfere with the scores without being caught using chakra for a genjutsu or a wind ninjutsu. The demon was bound to pass at least two of the four tests. He'd have to rig the Taijutsu and Ninjutsu portion if the plan was going to take place as he had hoped.

"Second, with a score of 23/25 is Sakura Haruno followed by Sasuke Uchiha with 22/25." As the names of his fellow students were called, he noticed that only Shikamaru got the worst possible passing score out of the entire group while Kiba had practically failed the test only scoring a measly 12/25. Next up was his personally favorite test: The Weapons Portion of the Genin Exams. He'd ace this easily.

About half an hour later, as he expected, Saito had completed the test with another perfect score, followed by Sasuke, who would have gotten a perfect score if he hadn't used steel ninja wire to show off with a technique he often saw his brother use during training. When Mizuki had openly asked Iruka to give the 'Last Uchiha' a perfect score for execution of a 'Chunin Level' technique, something the young hanyou remembered Tenten being able to perform the same technique when she was in the academy and getting reprimanded for it from both of her teachers. Still, Iruka stood by his judgement in Sasuke's score, which pissed off both the raven avenger and the silver-haired teacher, who simply glared at the 'demon brat' for using Senbon, one of the more difficult of the three basic ninja tools to use, with flawless accuracy.

After the weapons portion of the exam came the Taijutsu exam. This was a rather simple exam that only allowed Taijutsu to be used. No ninjutsu or genjutsu use was allowed. As classmates clashed, scores were put down on the board. Kiba versus Shino, Hinata versus Ami, one of Sasuke's fangirls, Sakura versus Ino, Shikamaru versus Chouji, though that was more of a battle to see who would give up last, which ended up giving Chouji the victory. Now it was the last fight. Sasuke Uchiha versus Saito Mazaki. The dead last versus the Uchiha genius, though many believe that the term 'Dead Last' didn't or couldn't be true if his latest performance was anything to go by.

As Saito and Sasuke entered the arena, Mizuki, Iruka, and the other students watched and cheered for their respective victor. While most were openly rooting for the Uchiha, some, such as Hinata, Shino, Shikamaru, and Chouji, were rooting for the new and improved Saito. Now, since Iruka graded the Weapons and Written portion, Mizuki was in charge of the Taijutsu and Ninjutsu portion. This gave Mizuki the edge in failing the 'demon' after deliberately setting him up to fail against the last Uchiha.

"Give up, dobe," called Sasuke to the 'Dead Last'. "Nobody's beaten me in Taijutsu. I doubt you'd be able to do much better." Saito smirked, deciding to toy with his target a little before setting him, and secretly Mizuki, up for the fall of their lives.

"Really, teme," the raven-haired hanyou asked as he placed his hand on his jawline. "I thought you only won because the teachers deliberately set you up with weaklings so you'd win easily. I mean, Kiba lasted the longest against you, but it took a teacher distracting him just so you could move in for the win."

Kiba growled, despite the truth in his 'rival's' words. The teacher had called out to him that the match was over, even when he hadn't written down the score, allowing Sasuke to move in and knock him down, giving the raven avenger the win. Now, Sasuke showed his fury. This punk...this dobe...was calling him weak while showing everyone how easy he had it.

"Shut up. I don't need someone to distract you to beat an orphan." Now this earned a few startled gasps, but Saito just smirked.

"An orphan? While I am an orphan, aren't you in the same boat since your brother murdered your entire clan? Technically, the only thing that makes you an Uchiha is your Sharingan, which hasn't activated yet, as well as the fact that your old man was on the council. The only other Uchiha alive is your mother, Mikoto-hime, and you don't even bother to visit her, much less acknowledge her existence when she's sitting in the hospital in a coma." NOW everyone was shocked. An orphan calling the last Uchiha an ungrateful, self-exiled orphan who didn't even acknowledge his own MOTHER being in the hospital in a semi-permanent sleep-like state! This got Sasuke red in the face as anger coursed through his body. Mizuki didn't even give the signal to start before the raven boy shot off toward his opponent, intent on delivering his righteous fury to this dead last orphan who DARED to mock him!

Throwing a wild punch at the face of the person who mocked him only for said person to move to the left and hit him in the gut with a powerful knee, knocking the wind from his lungs. As a follow up, Saito pulled his knee out and lashed out, throwing his right heel into the spine of the Uchiha genius, launching his body toward the outer edge of the arena where he was caught and steadied by Mizuki, who reprimanded the young half-demon for starting before he said.

"If you're going to take the Uchiha's side, I guess I'll have to openly destroy him just to make my point, Mizuki." Saito twisted his neck quickly to the sides, bringing forth a cracking sound that caused Hinata to sigh while Sasuke's Fan Girls flinched. "After all, how can he win...if he can't move? I'm going to show you and everyone else, Mizuki, that I am not one to be fucked around with....unless, of course, you happen to be Hinata and Tenten. Then I'd gladly fuck you." Hinata blushed furiously at that statement, as would Tenten if she were here. "I'm nobody's fool and I'll make my point today in this arena. Besides, I've always had this dream about taking down a major clan from their high pedistal and Sasuke's just happens to be the first one I get a shot at."

Charging his target, Saito dove beneath a wild kick from Sasuke and jumped up, delivering a devastating heal to the back of his head, sending him forward and face first into the middle of the arena where Naruto ran again and launched Sasuke into the sky with a kick to the jaw. "From here on out, it's all ORIGINAL!" Once the raven-haired avenger was at the apex of his flight, Saito leaped toward him with amazing speed and grabbed his arms while swinging his body around him like a giant jump rope until he finally threw him down as hard as he could, not letting go until the familiar pop of two dislocated arms were heard as the last Uchiha fell to the ground. "Mazaki Taijutsu Style: Seismic Toss Combo!" Once the Uchiha landed on the ground, everyone could feel a tremor run beneath their feet as a giant pillar of smoke rose from the point where Sasuke landed. Using a wind jutsu, Mizuki blew the smoke away until the sight of a badly beaten Uchiha as he lay helpless in a crater easily four feet deep and twelve feet wide. Saito landed on his feet as the dust cloud settled.

"SAITO MAZAKI," shouted Mizuki angrily as he looked down at the fallen body of Sasuke Uchiha before glaring at the very person whose name he cried out. "YOU FAIL THE TAIJUTSU PORTION! YOU BROKE ALMOST EVERY RULE THERE IS!"

"Really," called a calming, yet terrifying voice from behind the group of students. "I thought that was a rather brilliant way of using Taijutsu and as far as I could see, he broke none of the rules. He may have used a bit of chakra to enhance his blows, but so did young Sasuke from what I could tell." Mizuki paled and turned around slowly. "Hello again, Saito-kun."

"Yo, Gramps. How's the paperwork been treating you," asked Saito in a rather highly amused tone, considering he was speaking rather rudely, for those who didn't know the real Saito, to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Horribly. Thanks for the reminder." Hiruzen and Saito laughed.

"Ho..ho..Hokage-sama," stuttered Mizuki as he searched for an excuse to tell the Hokage just why the demon failed the exam.

Turning around slightly, Sarutobi looked at Mizuki from the corner of his eye with a frown on his normally unreadable face. "Now why, exactly, did you fail Saito in the taijutsu exam, Mizuki?"

"The de...brat used deadly force and could have potentially killed Uchiha-san with such a dangerous technique. Not only that, but I swear I saw him using handseals for some kind of ninjutsu!" Naruto raised a questioning eye brow. He'd seen him make handseals? That was a laugh considering, even though he did use them to use a taijutsu technique he called Flash Step, they were far faster than the Chunin gave him credit for. Hell! Most ANBU couldn't see him making the handseals during their chases when he looked back to taunt them while doing so.

"Well, Mizuki," said the wise leader as he looked over to Saito's position, "while I could sense chakra use, I couldn't see any handseals being formed. Are you implying that your eyesight and training surpasses my own to see handseals being used or are you insinuating that a Genin Hopeful can go through handseals faster that I can track them?" This got Mizuki sputtering like an idiot. In fact, Sarutobi HAD seen the handseals being used, though most of them were far to fast for even his expert eyes to see, he could still see 5 of the 12 handseals used in this technique that probably rivaled the Hiraishin of the Yondaime Hokage if the young boy trained with it enough, making it faster and more efficient in the long run.

"N..no Ho...Hokage-sama," sputtered Mizuki as he fought to form a single sentence without stuttering like that Hyuuga bitch he'd seen hanging around Saito lately.

"Now while that technique was deadly, it is necessary to teach our students when to hold back, as Saito just showed, and when to go in for the kill, like Sasuke did after being goaded into a senseless rage by Saito. Thus, there is no REAL reason for Saito to fail this portion of the exams, Mizuki-san. Am I correct?"

Mizuki nodded, though still glared at the only Mazaki. Sarutobi smirked. It seemed as though Saito's plan was coming together quite nicely. Pass the test while simultaneously pointing out how Mizuki tried to sabotage him, making him appear untrustworthy, thus causing him to make a mistake early in the game which would reveal what he TRULY planned on doing without using a student as a tool for his little scheme. For his cooperation, Saito Mazaki would learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu, a ninja technique that required all chakra with little control, though this worked out even better for Saito considering yokai is a much more potent form of chakra and with his high control over his yokai, the red and purple eyed boy would no doubt master it to the lengths that others would be unable to.

As Iruka walked outside, the Third bid the class and Mizuki a farewell before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves and twigs. Directing the class inside for the final portion of the exam, Iruka saw that Saito Mazaki's score had been changed from a fail to a pass for first place in Taijutsu. A question rang in the scarred chunin's head as he himself questioned whether he truly knew the former blond firecracker at all. It was most days like this that he would miss those mysterious blue eyes of his favorite student.

Shaking his head of all the clutter and questions, Iruka told them about the last portion of the exam. The Ninjutsu portion, though the techniques taught were mostly genjutsu such as the Henge and the Normal Clone Jutsu, which created a false image of a person over the user and created a simple, intangible clone respectively. The Substitution Jutsu, however, was practically the only real ninjutsu they taught the students short of some basic elemental techniques such as the Wind Style: Binding Release Jutsu, the Earth Style: Rock Tomb, the Fire Style: Campfire Jutsu, and the Water Style: Water Fountain Jutsu. All of which were E-Ranked Jutsus most ninja knew, including a few ANBU.

He began to call names from the roster starting with Shino Aburame, a member of a clan who use Kikai Bugs to drain an opponent of their chakra. Iruka noted to himself that if the young Aburame were to fight Saito in an all out fight, Saito was definitely Shino's only weakness. His massive chakra reserves would simply last too long for the Aburame heir to wait out the fight for his insects to drain the young man of his chakra. After using the Transformation, Substitution, and Clone Jutsus, Shino was given a pass and his headband. Sakura...pass. Hinata...pass. Shikamaru...pass, though barely. Chouji....pass. Kiba....pass, though he too was on the bar. Ino....pass. Sasuke....pass.

"Saito Mazaki!" Without missing a beat, Saito lifted his head lazily from his comfortable position in what he had dreamed were Hinata's breasts or Tenten's lap before moving up and into the room where he would take his final test, though it didn't matter since he passed through the first three exams already. This, to him, would simply be to piss off Mizuki and to rub some more salt on his wounded pride as well as the Uchiha's. Flawlessly, the young Mazaki had used the Transformation to turn into a mirror copy of Anko Miterashi, a young Special Jonin who had rescued him from a few attacks when he was younger. Even down to the bust size, which Iruka noted as impressive for a male genin hopeful, was perfect. He used the substitution to swap placed with Mizuki, causing the chunin to fall on his ass while Saito laughed his off.

"Alright now. All you need to do is use the Clone Jutsu to create three or more clones and you will have a perfect score." Saito smirked, cracking his knuckles. This was going to be huge. Focusing on his yokai, Saito began forming the necessary handseals before ending on the Ram. A flood of chakra left his body as he called out the technique.

"Clone Jutsu!" A large smokescreen appeared before a dozen illusion clones appeared from out of nowhere. "So do I pass?" Iruka was shocked into silence before allowing the young boy to pick out his headband, which he took a bandana style that covered his entire head minus his rather long ponytail. Upon leaving the room to see his future teammates, Saito smirked when he saw the sheer outrage on Kiba and Sasuke's faces when he showed up with his headband securely wrapped around his head, but Mizuki's had been the funniest of all. His mouth was open so wide, Saito placed a large stone in his mouth. When the pained yell and sound of broken teeth reached his ears, Saito smiled a fox-like grin before going back to sit by Hinata to wait for further instructions from his teacher.

After a long winded rant, Iruka had finally dismissed them after telling them to be back a week from then for team assignments. Saito had decided to move towards the warehouse while Hinata took the long way, acting as though she was going to the Hyuuga Estates. As the crowds settled into their normal patterns of shopping, training, in the case of ninjas, and working, the raven-haired hunter had blended into the crowds as he spun, shifted, ducked, and dove through various holes in the throng of people blocking his way home. As he passed by a local fruit vendor, Saito jumped through the cart, his body spinning to avoid any of the wood and fruit that would alert the unaware vendor that he was being robbed of apples, pears, and plums with the skill of a professional pickpocket.

After stealing and sealing a bunch of the fruit, placing the scroll containing his favorite foods in a hidden pouch on his horrid orange jumpsuit. After today, he wouldn't need it and he would allow Tenten and Hinata the honors of burning the wretched piece of trash with extreme prejudice. After half an hour, Saito could see the outline of his home, the vacant warehouse that now housed him, some bat families, and a few families of foxes of different kinds. As their lunch began to cook, a beautiful batch of tempura vegetables with fried rice and grilled kobe beef, Hinata and Tenten showed up with a half-starved look on their faces. Hinata's hitei-ate was placed on her neck while Tenten's was placed across her left bicep.

With a quickly muttered prayer to Inari-sama, the trio devoured their food until someone knocked on the large gate-like metallic door. With a heavy sigh, Saito made his way to the door and was greeted by an ANBU wearing a Snake mask. "Mazaki-san, you're needed by the Hokage. It involves Mizuki." With a nod, the young hunter ninja grabbed his gear and prepared for the standard arrival via Shunshin.

With a small spike of chakra as a signal to the arrival of the two he expected to show up, the Third Hokage spun around in his chair before looking at Snake and young Saito Mazaki. "Saito-kun, I have a mission for you. It seems that Mizuki's plans have come to fruition and he has stolen the Fobidden Scroll of Sealing. Your partner for this mission will be Snake, one of my most trusted ANBU. I want you to stop Mizuki from leaving the borders of Fire Country, retrieve the Fobidden Scroll, and capture Mizuki for interrogation. If he becomes hostile or crosses the border, you have permission to kill. This is a B-Rank Mission, though if he goes across the border, I'll change it to an A-Rank. Now go. He was last spotted heading to Earth Country."

With a nod, the two ninjas were on their way to their target's last known position. Tonight would be a night that even Saito Mazaki, Snake, and the Sandaime would never forget.


	6. First Kill as a True Hunter Pt3

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter Six: Betrayal: First Kill as a True Hunter Part 3

**Somewhere Near The Earth/Fire Border......**

His breath hitched in his throat as his grasp around the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing as his back lay against a tree trunk. Various traps littered the floor and treeline around him that he truly believed himself to be safe from any hunter nins or ANBU squads the old monkey of a Hokage would have sent out for him. He swore under his breath as the chill of the midnight breeze finally reached him. That damned demon brat! How the hell could he pass the exam like he did?! If the Third hadn't shown up and had the other teacher's reports of the bastard demon's skill with the Bushin were true, then he would have simply tricked him by acting nice, trying to give him 'extra credit' by having HIM steal the forbidden scroll for him.

"Damn demon brat," he mumbled under his breath as his paranoia finally began to set in. His eyes darted around the small clearing, wary of every sound the animals of the forest made. "He should have stayed the dead last of the class. If those bastards had sabotaged him properly, Sasuke-sama would have wiped the floor with him and he wouldn't have even been able to make a clone, much less a transformation or the substitution jutsus work."

A twig behind him snapped and he launched one of his last kunai at the noise only to find he'd killed a stupid rat. He couldn't get his kunai because it was right in the center of a large amount of his jonin level traps. Trying to get himself to relax a bit, the traitorous chunin tried to find a more comfortable position to get an hour's sleep, yet found it more than difficult due to his traps. He could dismantle them or even trip them to where they missed him, but that would mean less security meaning more people could find safe ways of coming after him. His eyes twitched left and right, forward and backwards, even bothering to look up only to be temporarily blinded by the rays of the sun.

Damn sun. Damn scroll.

Damn bastard demon fox for passing the Genin Exams.

Snap!

He could hear the telltale sound of his traps being triggered and the infamous sound of kunai and shuriken slicing through the wind. This caused him to go from sleepy to on guard in seconds. So Konoha did send ninjas after him. He would have been disappointed if they hadn't. Before he knew what was happening, he could see a dark red mist coming from out of nowhere.

He sniffed around, trying to catch the scent of whoever was creating the mist, but it was no use. He was not an Inuzuka...and even if he was, it would be pointless. The familiar copper taste the haze possessed as he took a breath through his mouth was unmistakable as blood. But how?

Who could make a mist technique with blood?

A rather loud, hearty laugh echoed throughout the bloody mist, chilling his own blood to the core. "Mizuki, Mizuki, Mizuki," called out the haunting voice from all around him. "Did you truly think that Konoha would allow you to leave the village with the Forbidden Scroll? I thought you were a chunin, but I guess your skills are only at genin level. So sad too. I was actually looking forward to killing you, but orders are orders."

Before another word was said, the feel of a thick, heavy metal blade running through his side, grinding against his hip bone made itself painfully aware to the chunin teacher turned traitor. Before he could grab the weapon, it was pulled out, causing another wave of pain to assault his mind. "I understand that the Silent Killing Technique famous in Kiri is normally done with a sword, but I think I prefer to do things from the mist. I've adapted it for long ranged fighting, as the blood seeping from your hip will plainly tell you."

Another round of laughter, only this time it was more feminine than the last one. "I've got to hand it to you, gaki. You're one sadistic mother fucker." His eyes widened at the familiar ring in her voice. CRAP! It was Anko Miterashi! The male was probably her accomplice.

"Please, Snake. You're making me blush," said the male voice with an air of confidence before he laughed like a mad man once again. Before Mizuki could prepare to run again, a fresh round of painful slashes caused his once perfectly tidy uniform to turn into bloody rags. "So how do you think it feels, Mizuki? To know that any minute now, I could kill you in almost a thousand different ways with this one technique alone? To feel as helpless as you made Naruto Uzumaki feel when he was still alive? Does it feel good?!" Another wave of blades pierced and sliced at the traitor causing him to scream out in pain. His blood dripped from his clothes. His skin was practically sliced to ribbons as his invisible opponent butchered him like he used to butcher the demon brat.

His worn and battered body fell to the ground racked with pain. His eyes still continued to look around, trying his hardest to see his torturer from within the thick mist of blood. Reaching into his only available pocket, the pained chunin pulled out a bottle filled with a black serum. The gift Orochimaru-sama gave him! It was his only chance at finding and killing Anko and her mystery partner before finally delivering the scroll to his new master. Before another move could be made by his attackers, the silver-maned traitor popped the cork on the vial and swallowed its contents.

Saito and Anko paused, waiting to see exactly what actions Mizuki's drink could reap. His wounds began to seal themselves as steam rose from his body. His laughter grew more maniacal and more beastial as time passed on. Before long, his muscular structure became like that of a professional body builder. Without warning, from a blue tattoo on his arm came deep black markings that covered his entire body until his appearance was similar to a lion with deep orange fur/skin. The two hunters could only watch in interest as Mizuki's body became much faster and more powerful than before.

Looking at his new form, Mizuki roared with the sound of a mad man's laughter drowned out in his own rage. "Now with this power Lord Orochimaru gave me, I'll be able to destroy you both with ease! None shall stand in the way of Lord Orochimaru's plans!"

Anko gasped. Orochimaru was behind this?! Her fist clenched as the incomplete curse mark on her shoulder seemed to pulse with a life of its own. "SNAKE! Stay focused. This mist will protect us both from anything he can come up with," the voice echoed once again, solidifying Anko's resolve momentarily until this new threat was taken down...permanently.

Mizuki smirked. "With this new power, not even this pathetic mist will hide your scents from me! I'll find you soon enough. After I do, I'll rip you both limb from limb!" With a powerful sniff, Mizuki closed his eyes to focus on the scents around him. After only a second, his eyes widened in fear. He couldn't SMELL THEM! What was this mist doing to interfere with his newly improved senses?!

"Found out yet, traitor," came a taunting, melodious voice. "This mist has a special ability. It can use my blood to form a veil, keeping anyone within it protected from anyone with Inuzuka-like senses. I've even asked Tsume-sama if I could test it against her and her pet, Kuromaru. She told me that the test succeeded. Even my mist fooled her perfected senses. So tell me, Mizuki. What hope do you have in breaking through this bloodline of mine?"

Mizuki's body slowly began to shake. Never before had he believed that this would be the end of him. For a moment, he thought he had lost before a small idea came to mind. "If I can't see you or smell you, then that means you can't see me either. Now we're both in the dark with this technique of yours. So unless you have any plans on coming at me with Taijutsu or Kenjutsu, you'll never beat me." Mizuki laughed hysterically.

"How do you know I cannot see through my own mist," Saito said, causing Mizuki to freeze once again. "How do you know that my bloodline does not give me the ability to see through the mist I created with it? After all, anything can be possible in the world of the ninja. You should know that. It's one of the cardinal rules, after all." Mizuki's ears twitched before he jumped back, narrowly avoiding a wind technique that cut the ground he once stood on to pieces.

Mizuki bit back a swear before he continued to dodge wind ninjutsu after wind ninjutsu, which didn't seem to cut through the blood mist. For a moment, the attacks stopped. "So I see you can still hear the wind and sense the chakra in my attacks. I guess that means I'll just have to focus more." Mizuki spun around, using chakra in his claws to slash at the person behind him only to hit nothing. A deep stabbing pain erupted in his back before it became a slashing, searing pain. A kick to his spine sent the traitor flying face first into a tree. "You were right, Mizuki. I cannot see through this mist under normal means. Even my own bloodline prevents me from seeing through it, but I guess that's only because of my inexperience in the bloodline. However, just because I'm blind doesn't mean I cannot see."

More blows and slashes landed on Mizuki's enhanced body as he tried to block attacks only to have them change into some other kind of blow meant to cripple or stun him. "Heh. I never was perfect or very comfortable with Taijutsu, Mizuki-baka. I was always the hunter the whole time we knew one another...and you were my prey." This time, Saito blocked an incoming blow from Mizuki as he spun wildly trying to hit his attacker. "You see, Mizuki-baka. I'm not afraid of kicking your ass in a Taijutsu fight, but I was ordered not to kill you by the Third. And right about now, Snake's poisonous friends should have done their job while I delayed you."

Mizuki smirked as he tried to spin around to smack his trapped opponent only to find out that he couldn't move. His eyes widened. Paralysis Toxins?! "I see you've noticed. While I may only be a genin, I can still find ways of distracting, damaging, and potentially killing you if I use teamwork properly with someone I trust. Hell. If I didn't have this bloodline, I'd probably be dead or severely injured." With that said, the traitor felt a heavy weight smash against the side of his head, knocking him unconscious.

For a minute, everything was quiet as the blood mist withdrew into a glowing red eye. Once the thick, blood mist had disappeared, the raven-haired hunter fell to his knees, a dry hacking sound coming from his mouth before he reached his canteen and took a mighty swig from it. While it cleared up his dry coughing, his legs still found it difficult to stand, much less move. With a soft sigh, he quietly chuckled to himself. "Damn chakra exhaustion. Always with my legs. It always starts with my legs." Another softer, more feminine chuckle came from directly beside him.

"Yep. Chakra exhaustion is truly a bitch most ninja suffer from at least once in their careers." Pulling out some pieces of paper, Snake slapped them on Mizuki's head, wrists, and ankles before tying him up with heavy-duty ninja wire. "Looks like our little trap worked, eh Saito-chan?"

"Of course it worked. With my prank experience and your ninja experience, nothing could have gone wrong," the hunter said confidently as he took yet another swig of the refreshing water in his canteen. "It's a good thing your snakes could still see and smell Mizuki through the mist. If too much of my blood was used in the mist, I doubt even your snakes would be able to find the target." Sending a bit of yokai into the open wound, allowing it to seal itself shut rather quickly.

Snake scoffed at the thought that her snakes could be tricked by such a simple bloodline technique. "As if, hunter gaki. My snakes are the best trackers there are."

"Next to bats, foxes, wolves, and dogs, I agree. They're the fifth best hunting summons known to mankind." Saito chuckled even after Snake smacked him upside the head. After resting up and gathering enough chakra to move properly again, Saito and Snake sealed Mizuki's unconscious body within a seal before recovering the Forbidden Scroll and heading back to the Hokage's office for debriefing. "You know what, Snake-hime?"

"Hm," asked the serpentine ANBU as she continued to walk a few steps ahead of her temporary partner.

"I think today was a good test to see just how well my Bloodmyst Eye worked. I learned that I cannot see with it while the Bloodmyst technique is active. I can fool even a mutant's enhanced senses. And I can successfully use the Silent Killing Technique with long-ranged ninjutsu and weapons." Snake, though continuing to walk, payed attention to the young boy as he spoke about one of his bloodline.

"If you couldn't see him, how did you know where he was and where to hit," the violet-haired woman asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Well, I experimented with something bats use when they hunt called Echolocation. Since they are technically blind, they use sound waves to guide them as they fly and hunt. I decided to use it with chakra added to my voice, thus why my voice echoed throughout the forest. Occasionally, I would swap it out for a chakra pulse to send me the information. Both of those worked out well for the first trial." Snake stopped in her tracks.

"You mean to tell me...that you fought...and massacred....the traitor using experimental techniques?" Saito nodded. For moments, there was a period of silence before Snake bust out laughing. "You got guts, kid. I don't know anyone who would do what you just did during a mission and actually get away with it alive."

Saito shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? My luck's always been weird like that." Snake nodded before removing her mask and placing it on her hip.

"Well, kid. I got a feeling that we'll be seeing more of one another in the future. My name's Anko. Anko Miterashi." With that, the purple-haired, brown eyed sadistic beauty extended her hand to him, which Saito gladly took.

"Saito. Saito Mazaki. You'd probably know me better as Naruto Uzumaki, but I gave that name up a long time ago." Anko placed a hand on her chin in a thinking pose before she sprung forward at him, wrapping him in a warm embrace...a warm, squishy, bone breaking embrace.

"I remember you now. I used to baby sit your happy ass with Tsume Inuzuka's daughter, Hana. God I miss those pranks of yours, kid. Got the whole ANBU squad room to fall on their ass laughing." Saito's face lit up with pride. Only someone as awesome and funny as he could make an ANBU squad laugh their normally stoic asses off.

"Well, Anko-hime. I'm glad I could have been of service." For an instant, Anko turned placed her mask back on, not only because they were nearing the village, but to hide a rather large blush. Within minutes, the two were standing at the Hokage's office with an unsealed, bloody, broken Mizuki, who now appeared much older than even the Third did, as well as the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing.

"Congratulations on apprehending the traitor, Snake and Mazaki-kun, as well as your retrieval of the Forbidden Scroll. Did Mizuki tell you anything about his plans while you fought?" Saito nodded.

"He told us that he was working for Orochimaru the entire time he was here, Hokage-sama. I believe that he was leaving for one of Orochimaru's carefully hidden bases in Earth Country with the scroll so he could hand it over to Orochimaru. With his rather unhealthy obsession with wanting to learn all of the world's ninjutsu, I doubt that it is far from the truth. Also, he drank this odd black liquid which increased his muscular structure and chakra reserves as well as activate a strange seal array located on his wrist. Good news is that even with his enhanced senses, he didn't know it was me and my blood mist fooled him long enough for our plan to work." Sarutobi nodded, looking to Snake for any more details she could glean off of the traitor, who simply nodded in affirmation with Saito, stating his information was accurate.

"Very well. I'll add the payment of an A-Rank Mission in both of your accounts. Saito. As promised, here is the scroll containing the information and handseals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Take heed of the warning inside. I do not want you to die because you got overconfident." Saito placed his hand on his heart with a false look of pain on his face.

"Hokage-sama. You wound me. I'm a very humble person and you know it. I hardly ever get overconfident anymore." Sarutobi and Snake laughed a the little dramatic joke before being dismissed. Saito had to rest, after all. In a week, he'd learn about his teammates and jonin-sensei and he'd need all the rest he can get.

As the Third looked down at his Squad Sheet, a momentary thought filled his mind before he erased the names of six people to rewrite them.

'Team Setup Sheet

Team 1.......

Team 2.......

Team 3.......

Team 4.......

Team 5.......

Team 6.......

Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka. Jonin-Sensei(s): Kakashi Hatake

Team 8: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, Saito Mazaki. Jonin-Sensei(s): Anko Miterashi and Kurenai Yuhi

Team 9: Set Up From Last Year. Neji Hyuuga, Tenten Higurashi, Rock Lee. Jonin-Sensei(s): Might Guy

Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi. Jonin-Sensei(s): Asuma Sarutobi'

With a smile on his face, the wise leader pulled out his rubber stamp and slammed it down on the paper before placing it in the Outbox bin, which was full of other papers instead of the Inbox. As his thoughts left him in a drowsy haze, the old leader couldn't help but chuckle as he dreamed about the team setups....

…..and his Icha Icha Paradise collection.


	7. Genin Teams and Uzumakigakure no Sato

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter Seven: True Genin Exams and Reintegration of Uzugakure no Sato

**In the Hokage's Office.....**

'Team Setup Sheet

Team 1.......

Team 2.......

Team 3.......

Team 4.......

Team 5.......

Team 6.......

Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka. Jonin-Sensei(s): Kakashi Hatake

Team 8: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, Saito Mazaki. Jonin-Sensei(s): Anko Miterashi and Kurenai Yuhi

Team 9: Set Up From Last Year. Neji Hyuuga, Tenten Higurashi, Rock Lee. Jonin-Sensei(s): Might Guy

Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi. Jonin-Sensei(s): Asuma Sarutobi'

With a smile on his face, the wise leader pulled out his rubber stamp and slammed it down on the paper before placing it in the Outbox bin, which was full of other papers instead of the Inbox. As his thoughts left him in a drowsy haze, the old leader couldn't help but chuckle as he dreamed about the team setups....

…..and his Icha Icha Paradise collection.

**Elsewhere in Whirlpool Country.....**

Her hair was a deep crimson with hints of natural blonde highlights running through it. Her eyes were a deep, bold blue with a heavy veil of fog coursing through them. Her skin was flawless that even the pearls she bore around her neck seemed to dull in comparison. For a moment, the young lady felt her eyes burn slightly, just like when she had initially activated her bloodline for the first time, and her stomach rumbled in a slight burning pain most likely caused by indigestion or something similar. For once in her life, Kana Uzumaki-Namikaze could feel an unknown sense of foreboding course through her icy veins. Kana had been taught by her mother that her emotions, the very things that made her human, would end up getting her killed if she wasn't careful to maintain the strict cover of constant anger or neutral with a hint of fury, a mask, she soon realized, was just like the one the Hyuuga clan of Konoha was known to possess.

_'What is this,' she asked herself as fear continued its course through her body. 'If we were under attack, Momma and Koga-san would have readied the ninjas already. So why am I frozen here? What is this fear that plagues me?'_

For the past few nights since she turned six, Kana had always had odd dreams about a blond-haired boy who looked like her papa, but he had whisker marks on his cheeks similar to the Inuzuka clan's markings. She could see him as he writhed in pain after being tortured by the brutal people around him. For a moment, she believed that he had done something wrong to get such an awful beating until she heard words like 'demon' and 'hell spawn' and even 'demon fox'.

The only time she'd ever heard those words were when she had accidentally overheard her momma crying in a boy's room. It wasn't any boy she knew because nobody she knew possessed the name Naruto.

**Flashback....**

_As Kana got up to grab a glass of water from the kitchen, she passed by a room her mother had strictly forbidden her from ever entering. Believing her momma had only her best interests at heart, she obeyed like a young lady should since that day. But now, for some reason, she could hear someone crying...someone that sounded similar to her momma._

_'But Momma never cries,' the young six-year-old girl thought to herself as she unconsciously approached the door, making sure that whoever was crying didn't hear her movements._

"_Soon, my baby Naruto," the mystery woman now identified as Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze-Kurosaki had cried softly as she cradled her flat stomach as though she were pregnant. "Once I kill the demon possessing your body, both yours and Minato-koi's spirits will finally be able to rest in peace. Yes you will, my darling little maelstrom."_

_Kana backed away in fear that her momma had done this when the rest of the clan was asleep. She figured Grandpa Uzumaki knew about her momma's ritual, but simply chose to ignore it. No! Her momma was strong! SHE was strong! She'd seen a picture of what her older brother looked like and she figured it was the same person in her dreams. Quietly, Kana ran back to bed, promising to herself to kill the demon impersonating her dead older brother so her momma could be happy again._

**Flashback End.....**

Yes. The same boy...no, demon in her dreams, she swore to herself to slay so her momma would finally be happy again. Still, every time his face or some kind of image resembling him or her papa in her dreams, she woke up in a thick sweat as fear claimed her heart.

Before the young Uzumaki-Namikaze heiress could think, a gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder, alleviating her of the fear and filling her with a radiant warmth that she was quite intimate with. Turning around, she saw her mother's bright, smiling face. Those crystal blue eyes whose light seemingly broke through the fog that coursed through her own Azuremyst Eyes, her family's bloodline, that made everything that felt so wrong simply disappear.

"Kana, honey," she asked, her ruby red hair flowing as she continued to walk with her daughter, "what's wrong? You didn't have another dream, did you?" Of course she knew about her dreams about her demon-possessed son. She would never tell Kana, but she had been having those nightmares similar, yet more terrifying since they left Konoha. Kana told her about the first one two years after it happened and she got curious as to why he looked like her papa.

Kana shook her head in the negative. "No, momma," the young red-head said with a slight shake in her voice. "It felt like your Kanshibara Jutsu, but ten times worse. I couldn't move and I felt my whole body go cold and stiff." Kushina tilted her head to the side slightly, curious as to this new feeling her daughter expressed so much fear from. "It was like someone was standing over me, radiating this crushing feeling. There wasn't even a picture this time. Just this overwhelming feeling of dread."

Kushina looked mildly shaken, but she hid it carefully. Not even her own clan's elder council could tell if she was lying or telling the truth when she put on her mask of indifference. For a minute, she too had that same feeling, though hers hadn't paralyzed her in fear. There was a closely guarded secret about the Azuremyst Eye that not many knew about.

The Azuremyst Eyes allowed one to pull the water from their own bodies and send it out into the air around them. But the darkest secret was that only those bound closely to another holder by blood could see their families in dream-like images. Not a simple dream or a nightmare, but a piece of that person's life up until then. These dreams about the boy being beaten was common to her as well, though she could limit the emotional damage these visions normally left someone who didn't have an ounce of control over their own emotions.

For years now, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze-Kurosaki had wondered whether the 'demon' had seen her and Kana through her son's own Azuremyst visions. Fear gripped her heart. If the demon knew what they looked like...

….then there was a good chance that he would come seeking vengeance for what her former husband and former Hokage had done to it.

**Back in Konohagakure no Sato: Ninja Academy (One Week After Mizuki's Attempted Defection)**

For some reason, today felt like one of the most wonderful days in his life. Not only had he apprehended a traitor, but he had also made a new friend in Anko-hime, as he affectionately called her. Though she was a tad bit scary...and more than sadistic when she helped him trap Mizuki, he had also learned she had a softer side as well. One day during the week he had off, he, Tenten, and Hinata had gone to visit her home in the Forest of Death, which they were somewhat surprised to find out that they had trained in a lot of times over the years.

After finding her house in the forest, the trio knocked on the door and stepped back, waiting for this new friend of Saito's to show up. The sounds of shuffling reached their ears before the door swung open wide to reveal a beautiful woman with exotic purple hair and deep brown eyes in what looked to be a rather formal purple and dark green kimono. Her skin was flawless, save for a few barely noticeable scars on her hands, and her voice was soft, yet bold and outspoken.

**Flashback....**

"_What do yo...OH! Saito-chan! So you finally decided to take me up on my offer," she said as she quietly led the three mates through her rather clean domicile. "And you've brought your two little friends to meet me. How unexpected."_

"_Anko-chan," shouted another melodious voice from the room they were about to enter, "who was it?"_

_Anko giggled, something Saito would have thought out of character of her had he not been meeting her at her favorite dango stand a couple of days after their co-op mission. "It's Saito-chan, Tenten-chan, and Hinata-chan, Kurenai-hime!" Before they knew what was happening, a blur of red, white, and black sped through the room and latched onto Hinata's body, hugging her in a death grip that she refused to release unless her former charge was dying of suffocation...which she was as her face had now turned blue with a purple blush across her cheeks._

"_Not to be the bearer of bad news, Kurenai-san, but I believe Hinata is somewhere between fainting and suffocating." Kurenai looked up at Hinata with her glowing red eyes and released the young Hyuuga heiress before she died. Turning her attention to the speaker, which happened to be Saito, Kurenai sped to him and wrapped him in a much looser hug, tears falling from her beautiful, mesmerizing eyes as she begun to cry the tears she didn't realize was there._

_For a moment, Saito froze up. Outside of his occasional hug of Ayame, Old Man Ichiraku, Old Man Sarutobi, and his two lovers, he was still rather unused to the feeling of someone else's body wrapping him in a warm embrace. Feeling his muscles tense momentarily, Kurenai flinched inwardly after reminding herself of just how wretched his life had been up until his tenth birthday._

"_Thank you," she whispered, shaking as she spoke. "Thank you for taking care of her and keeping her safe from her family."_

_Finding the strength in his will, he wrapped the crying raven-haired genjutsu user in a hug, rubbing her back with his left hand as he whispered words of comfort in her ears. After minutes of crying, hugging, and reintroducing themselves to one another, the group finally got their bearings back to normal and now sat in a rather large room where Anko was performing the traditional tea ceremony with them._

"_You know, Anko-hime," called Saito from the very end of the table, "I would have had the three of us wear kimonos if I knew you'd be performing the tea ceremony."_

_Anko smiled gently as she poured herself some more tea. "Well, your visit was unexpected and I didn't think you'd show up until after your graduation ceremony so this was a surprise for all five of us." The young hunter nodded in confirmation as his two mates and Kurenai slowly drank their tea._

**Flashback End.....**

Now, as he sits upon the rooftop of the Ninja Academy, his lovers and best friends, Hinata and Tenten, running their hands through his twilight black silken hair as they enjoyed the feeling of safety and honesty they knew the others would give to them. While his Steel Magnolia, Tenten, didn't quite notice, he could feel her calloused, yet gentle hand running from his shoulder to his stomach where she slowly traced the seal.

Saito laughed quietly to himself. He didn't know where it came from, but he had developed little nicknames for his mates and decided he'd do it to anyone else who was to become his mate. Tenten was his Steel Magnolia for her prowess with weapons of all kinds where as Hinata was his Water Lily because of her gentle, beautiful nature, but when angered...or at least highly upset, her kindness could only be equaled by her righteous fury.

A few of his would-be attackers could attest to that...from either the grave or from a near-permanent hospital bed they'd ended up in.

Still, they had about 2 more hours before their classmates would come barreling in like a pack of wild animals save for a few such as the local emo and 'Last Loyal Uchiha', Sasuke Uchiha, and the only classmate Saito could say was an intimate friend of his, Shino Aburame, the 'Bug Boy' of the academy, second most intelligent in the class next to the closet genius, Shikamaru Nara, and first most logical person in the class, despite Saito's numerous attempts to get him to see outside of the box and be slightly illogical for once.

Closing his eyes slowly, the young hunter began to steady his breathing, an exercise, he found earlier on before the academy, would help him aim with his assortment of long-ranged weapons, including his bow and arrows. The sounds of heartbeats were the first things to meet his fairly sensitive hearing, most likely which came from the two women having their little 'Saito Playtime', as Tenten liked to call it. He chuckled to himself, trying to ignore Tenten's hands as they slowly moved even more south than he was comfortable with.

"Now, Tenten-hime," Saito said in a bold, yet teasing tone, "you know that _it_ cannot be played with until we're chunin or 16, no matter how badly you both want to see it....again."

Yes. It was true. Tenten and Hinata had seen what the young man was packing...and were praying their resistance into the temptation could last until they became chunin because there was no WAY they could make it for another four years. He didn't mean for it to happen. He had gone to take a shower, forgot to bring a pair of boxers and shorts with him to change, forgot his towel on the towel rack, and walked out into the warehouse as naked as a newborn...which Tenten and Hinata noticed before their brains shut down and they fell onto their futons with a crooked smile and a somewhat bloody nose.

Despite the thrill they had suffered...and the sheer joy it brought Saito to know he was physically and sexually appealing to his loves as well as getting some wonderful blackmail on their perverted fantasies, the three had made a pact that they wouldn't jump him and he wouldn't jump one of them until they were chunin or at the legal age to get married as a civilian, which happened to be 16.

Tenten whined rather loudly, causing Hinata to giggle as she continued to play with her lover's hair. "That goes for my ass too, Hinata-hime." Now Hinata whined loudly while Tenten burst into laughter and Naruto chuckled. It didn't seem like the hours they expected, but the trio could sense the chakra of their fellow classmates as they drew closer. The first person was Sasuke. They could tell because his chakra felt so...vile and sadistic. After that, Shino, Kiba Inuzuka, Chouji, Ino, Sakura, and then a few civilians who barely managed to pass the test.

As the young Inuzuka passed through the barrier between the village and the academy, Hinata barely managed to hold back a glare and her killing intent. Ever since she had met the young horndog, she loathed him due to his constant need to hit on her, claiming, in front of a rather large amount of students, no less, his bitch. She was nobody's bitch...

...well, she'd gladly be Saito's bitch, if he wanted her like that. After all, the man in her lap was her one true love. Neither her, Tenten, nor Saito would give that up for all of the money in the world.

As the five minute warning bell rang through the school yard, causing some of the young genin to run faster in order to reach their destinations, Tenten had pushed Saito and Hinata toward the door that lead to the emergency escape which was conveniently directly besides their classroom. In short terms, they were the first to arrive.

As the two chose to sit next to one another near the back of the classroom, the door opened up and revealed their fellow genin-to-be lead by Sasuke Uchiha, their 'Rookie of the Year'. Personally, Saito and Hinata thought the title was a joke meant to try and push kids to be the best and show their stuff. Saito, knowing this, took every opportunity to beat down every year's rookie to show that the title didn't mean anything to him, knowing he could easily dropkick their sorry asses anyday while also showing them that even if they were the best, there was always someone better.

Once the final bell rang, Iruka-sensei strode into class as he usually did, though he didn't hold the roster clipboard in his hands, but rather a single piece of paper. Clearing his throat, he could still hear the mindless chatter of his old students. Clearing it a bit louder, he noticed that only Hinata and the Mazaki boy were remaining quiet. Before he could use his 'Demon Head Jutsu', as some of the kids called it, Saito stood up and whistled, nearly breaking Kiba's eardrums and getting the whole class to settle down.

"Shut up. Iruka-sensei's standing right there," the young raven-haired koumori/kitsune said as he pointed in the general direction of their former teacher, Iruka.

Iruka sighed to himself before thanking the young boy for his assistance. "Now class. I'm sure that now that you think that you've graduated, you'll be taking missions with your friends and simply having fun, possibly falling in love with your classmate for whom you've joined the academy. Well...I hate to burst your bubble, but you're wrong about that. Being a ninja means going on missions with the possibility of severe injury or even death in order to serve your village, your daimyo, and your comrades-in-arms. While some of you may only get as far as chunin like me, others could reach as high as jonin, ANBU, or possibly Hokage." At that comment, Iruka's barely seen gaze landed on Hinata, then Saito who simply smiled and absorbed the speech. "Now I'm going to read out the names of your teammates as well as your jonin teachers. It is their job to prepare you to the best of your ability as it is yours to follow their orders and learn from them as well as teach them a few things they have either forgotten or never learned in the first place. I'll have you know from personal experience that even the jonin can learn something from their genin just as easily as genin learn from their jonin."

Taking a swig from a bottle of water on the podium, Iruka cleared his throat as he began reading off the teams. While the first six teams didn't concern him much due to the fact that none of the people he considered good enough to become genin were in them, the Seventh, Eighth, and Tenth were. "Team Seven: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno,"

By this point, Sakura was jumping from her chair in the front back to where Sasuke was located while bragging to Ino about 'True Love Conquers All'. It was a bit hard to hear through the screeching and the ringing in their ears FROM the screeching. Ino had a somewhat depressed look, but maintained the stoic appearance her father, Inoichi Yamanaka, was known to possess in battle...or back when he chased Naruto/Saito around and mentally beat him down with their clan's jutsus, "and Kiba Inuzuka." Now Hinata and Saito were silently celebrating while Sakura cursed her luck about being stuck with the smelly mutt and Akamaru.

Sakura couldn't resist herself and raised her hand in the air. "Iruka-sensei? Why is Kiba on our team? Why not Saito-baka since he's the Dead Last?"

Iruka prepared a rebuttal, but Saito decided to tell her himself. "If I'm such a Dead Last, how come I not only beat Sasuke in every fight we had, but before I failed the class, I beat last year's Rookie of the Year, Neji Hyuuga, as well?" Sakura was about to come back with an insult, but Iruka stopped her.

"It...is true, Sakura. If he didn't have to perform a clone or got a test most chunin would find difficult, Saito would have passed last year and become the Rookie of the Year. He probably would have been on Team Gai, now that I think about it."

"Besides, I'm currently in the middle of the class, if you want to go by ranks. Kiba did worse than Shikamaru, so he's the 'Dead Last', if what you believe is true. Thus, he's on your team to balance it out." Sakura looked at Iruka who simply nodded and watched her head fall to the desk in disappointment. She may not have liked Saito Mazaki, but at least he was better than Kiba. Smelled a lot better too, not that she bothered to smell him.

"As I was saying before the interruption: Team Seven consisting of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka. You're jonin sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Team Eight consists of Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Saito Mazaki." At this, the trio silently cheered while Hinata silently and swiftly ensnared her hand in her lovers. "Your jonin senseis are Kurenai Yuhi and......Anko Miterashi." At this point, the chunin as well as a few others who listened in paled while Saito and Hinata looked a bit more upbeat. Shino...well, if you can tell me how the Aburame express...expressions and emotions, you can get a cookie. Other students either taunted them for being so awful they needed two senseis or were complaining about the advantage that two jonin teachers should belong to 'Sasuke-kun' and not the Dead Last. "Team Nine is still in active duty, so Team Ten will consist of Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chouji Akimichi. Your jonin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi. Now, your jonin teachers will be here momentarily so you'll be given a 30 minute lunch before you have to be back here to meet your future senseis."

With a chorus of 'Hai, Iruka-sensei', the class departed to find their teammates so they could get to know them better or to ask them to dinner. Before Hinata, Saito, and Shino could leave for a little team bonding lunch, Kiba had decided to approach them.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," the wild-looking boy said as smoothly as he could. It was the same way he always approached 'his Hinata-chan' and it had already frayed a few of the young hanyou's nerves. "Why not ditch the freaks and get some lunch with me? I mean, I doubt either of them can satisfy you the way I can. I doubt they could even lay a finger on me in a fight."

Before anyone could react, the brash Inuzuka runt felt a fist collide with his stomach, forcing the wind from his lungs before a heavy heel launched him into the brick wall of the academy. Everyone still there simply stared wide eyed at the culprit: Saito Mazaki.

"If you ever, and I mean EVER, talk to her like she's a piece of meat meant only for your satisfaction and breeding, I'll make sure not even Tsunade will be able to fix what I'll do to you." With a final snort, Saito took Hinata's arm and led her and the Aburame heir to one of his favorite restaurants: Ichiraku's Ramen.

Today, Team Eight will grow to become stronger than any team ever seen...even better than Team Sannin, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi.


	8. True Genin Exam: Teamwork Is The Key

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Chapter Eight: True Genin Exam: Teamwork Is The Key

"If you ever, and I mean EVER, talk to her like she's a piece of meat meant only for your satisfaction and breeding, I'll make sure not even Tsunade will be able to fix what I'll do to you." With a final snort, Saito took Hinata's arm and led her and the Aburame heir to one of his favorite restaurants: Ichiraku's Ramen.

Today, Team Eight will grow to become stronger than any team ever seen...even better than Team Sannin, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

A few minutes later, Saito, Hinata, and Shino all sat down at the familiar ramen stand, a trio of bowls of steaming hot pork, miso and vegetable, and beef ramen sitting before them. Breaking apart their chopsticks and saying a quick prayer, the trio began to slowly eat their ramen. As soon as the first few bites are done, Saito takes a deep breath before looking over at his two teammates.

"Well," he said, a brief pause as he swallowed the rest of his ramen, "now that we're a team, we have to find out how we're going to work together when we go out on missions. So I suggest we get to know each other like our likes, dislikes, hobbies, strengths, weaknesses, dreams. That kind of stuff. Since I suggested it, I guess I'll go first."

Taking a moment to clear his throat, Saito spun around to face his lover and his best friend. "Well, as you know by now, my name is Saito Mazaki. I like fruits and vegitables, Hinata-chan, Tenten-chan, certain tenants of mine, and training. My dislikes are emotionally unstable people who think others should worship the ground they walk on simply because of their names, people who rely too much on their bloodline, and the fangirls of said emotionally unstable bastard." At this, Hinata giggled and Shino...well, it sounded like Shino chuckled as well. My strengths are Genjutsu, though I only know a few myself, my bloodlines, the Bloodmyst Eye and the Shadow Lotus Eye, long-ranged fighting with senbon, my twin fans, my bow and arrows, my elemental affinities when I combine it with those weapons, and long-ranged Ninjutsu. My weaknesses are Taijutsu, though I am moderately proficient at the style I use, short-ranged Ninjutsu, and Kenjutsu. My dreams for the future is to make a name for myself as a ninja, build my clan, and become strong so I can defend my friends, my loved ones, my daimyo, and my nation."

After the rather long winded speech/description, Shino raised his hand next and began explaining. "My name is Shino Aburame. I like insects and thinking logically. My dislikes are those who harm insects needlessly and those who judge others upon what they see without getting to know them." At this, Saito mumbled a barely audible 'I know how you feel, dude' before Shino continued his introduction. "My strengths would lie in my ability to drain an opponent of their chakra with the help of my kikai bugs and my family jutsus involving them. My weaknesses are my lack of chakra due to my kikai colony, causing my inability to use many high-ranked jutsus, if any jutsus at all that don't involve the kikai bugs and short and long-ranged fighting."

With silent nods, Hinata went next without hesitation. "My name is Hinata _Hyuuga,_" she said as her last name came out with a venomous hiss. "My likes are Saito-kun, Tenten-chan, my friends, and cinnamon rolls. My dislikes are those who can't tell the difference between a jar and the object it contains. My strengths are my ability with the Jyuuken, the Hyuuga's Taijutsu style, as well as water elemental and medical jutsus and my Byakugan. My weaknesses are the small blind spot in the Byakugan, long-ranged fighting, and killing without reason."

With a silent nod, the trio began talking about different reasons as to why they were put together and how they would work the most efficiently and effectively. As they ate their dango, ramen, fruit, and whatever else they ordered, two people, both rather beautiful women each with seemingly conflicting personalities, had suddenly appeared behind them with a slight smirk on their faces....well, Anko's smirk was more unsettling, but still held an ounce of pride and joviality to it. Without a moments hesitation, the duo sat down and ordered some dango and some fried rice. Mazaki smirked as he looked at his more sadistic teacher from the corner of his eye.

"Hey, Anko-chan," Saito said as his gaze landed on his other sensei, Kurenai. "Kurenai-chan. You two decide to see us rather than have us wait? I feel so honored we're all meeting at Ichiraku's Ramen Hut (Yes. I am allowing them to serve more than ramen, though I agree that ramen is the food of the gods. It wouldn't seem fair or right for them to serve fruit-flavored ramen, even though it would sound good to try.)." Kurenai giggled while Anko simply glared before taking a nasty-looking bite from her dango.

"Don't push your luck, brat," the purple-haired jonin said with a playful hiss. "It's Anko-sensei and Kurenai-sensei from now on until you become chunin or jonin. Still, it's pretty good to see your team knows how to pull their skills together before their real genin exam. I think that makes your team a definite pass, don't you think, Kurenai-chan."

Kurenai nodded, fighting to keep her giggles from becoming a more boisterous laughter. "You're right, Anko-chan, but we still need to find out where their skills are and how we can improve them. After all, this is supposed to be a hunter/reconnaissance team. How can we do our jobs if we don't trust each other and learn to work together with one another?"

This got young Saito to flinch slightly, though only Kurenai, Anko, and Hinata noticed while Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku and Shino remained ignorant to it. Briefly, Saito mouthed 'I'll tell him when I'm ready and when I think he's ready.' and left it at that. With a final slurp, the young hunter ordered another bowl of fruit salad.

"Well, since none of you really know either of us, I guess we should start introducing ourselves," said Anko as she took a more comfortable position on her chair before taking a relaxing breath and closed her eyes momentarily. "My name is Anko Miterashi, also known as the Snake Mistress. My likes are training ,snakes, dango, Kure-chan, and tea ceremonies. My dislikes include traitors, perverts, a certain snake bastard, and the hospital. My strengths include my ability to summon snakes, my short to mid-ranged Ninjutsu, a small myriad of Genjutsu, though those are all high ranking, and moderate skill in Taijutsu. My weakness, I'd have to say, is my Taijutsu and my chakra control, though it is about high chunin level right now."

Kurenai cleared her throat as she began her introduction. "My name is Kurenai Yuhi. My likes are likes are cooking, learning Genjutsu, training, and reading romantic novels. My dislikes are perverts, traitors, and people who think women can't be great ninjas." At this point, Hinata, Saito, and Anko nodded in agreement while Shino appeared somewhat confused, but didn't ask anything. "My strengths are in Genjutsu, chakra control, and my ability with senbon needles. My weaknesses are in my Ninjutsu and Taijutsu ability, my small chakra reserves, and my ability with weapons. I'm more of a reconnaissance type. Not one for combat like you guys."

Everyone nodded, taking the time to place the information in its proper place. So they were meant to be a Genjutsu and weapon search-and-retrieve squad with a sub-specialty in reconnaissance. Since Shino couldn't use many Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu were his only choices in the three main ninja arts. Hinata could use some Ninjutsu due to her above-average chakra reserves and equally above-average chakra control. It would allow her Taijutsu to flourish and give her a fairly odd kenjutsu style if given tonfas to use. Shino's minute amount of chakra and rather high amount of control leads him to be the infiltration member of the squad, more beneficial under Kurenai's ever watchful gaze while Hinata could learn more under Anko. Saito Mazaki, however, was more like a genin, male blend of the two teachers. He had the ability to hunt down and kill like Anko, but also possessed the subtlety and mental prowess of Kurenai.

After they finished eating, the five ninjas walked out and into the forest around Konoha where Anko and Saito, unbeknownst to Kurenai, Shino, and Hinata, had hunted and captured the traitor, Mizuki, after he stole the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing. A smile of remembrance found their ways onto Anko and Saito's faces. The familiar copper smell of blood rushed through their nostrils, giving them a small rush of adrenaline to boost their senses for a moment before it faded from their bodies and memories.

"This, my dear students, is our personal training grounds. From now on, we'll be calling this Training Ground 77 or the Bloody Forest due to the amount of blood that was spilled here in order to defend our village from just about every enemy Konoha's had faced and defeated. It was said that more blood was spilled here during the Second Ninja War than even during the Kyuubi's attack. That, however, has yet to be confirmed, but the rumor still lives within the hearts and minds of every ninja who fought here." Anko's bloodthirsty grin gave the genin trio to shiver uncontrollably.

"Now, we'll have a few tests to determine your skills in the three main ninja arts. We'll start with a one-on-one Taijutsu match with Anko. Once we've determined where you stand there, we'll move onto Genjutsu to find out how well you are at identifying them and dispelling them. Afterward, we'll move onto Ninjutsu by testing you on the three basics and any others you might know," Kurenai said with a no-nonsense tone as she looked down to her students.

"After you've judged just how good we are in the field we were chosen to participate in, what then," questioned Saito as he tried to figure out just what he knew in these indiscriminate tests. Hell! This would be the first test that wasn't biased toward him in a long ass time. His heart jumped for joy in his mind as he readied himself for the answer his teacher would give.

He wasn't disappointed when Anko answered for Kurenai. "After we grade where you stand, we'll teach you in areas that you are weak in. After about two to three months of training and once we believe you're ready, we'll start going on C-Ranked Missions." _'Mostly because I can't stand D-Rank Missions,'_ thought the snake mistress in spite. Kurenai's somewhat angered gaze fell upon her only to be retracted momentarily.

"We'll only take D-Ranked missions as part of training and only if it lands within our specialty." Kurenai's response caused Anko and Saito to groan while their two teammates only bore confused looks. The beautiful brunette glared at Anko, who mumbled something about damned immortal cats and pathetic genin-wannabe run-aways, before declaring the beginning of their test, pitting Hinata against Anko. If Hinata's father was correct in his judgment of her abilities in the Jyuuken and Iruka's judgment of her inability to hurt anyone, then this match up would be over relatively quick.

That, however, was not what she was watching. As soon as the older jonin signaled them to begin, Anko shot off, trying to end the match quickly, was surprised to discover her left arm and right knee temporarily disabled, allowing the 'shy' heiress to place a palm over her forehead and one over her heart to declare victory. While Anko was being injected with chakra to regain full use of her limbs, Saito Mazaki had congratulated her softly as though he expected it.

"Well done, Hinata-hime. It seems like your training with Tenten-hime has been doing you better. Have you tried incorporating any weapons into your style yet?" The two jonin's eyes were wide while both of their Aburame student's eyebrows were visible. Hinata shook her head in the negative.

"Ten-chan's weapons are too pointy and would kill before the strikes would effect them. She may be a future weapon's mistress, but she isn't very good with anything that can't make the opponent bleed on the outside." Saito chuckled like they've had this conversation before with someone else.

"That she isn't, Hime, but you could try to use blunt arrows with a bow like I do sometimes." Hinata shook her head again.

"As much as I hate to say it, long-range suits you better than it does me. If it weren't for Tenten-chan, you wouldn't be the self-proclaimed 'Marksman of the Hidden Leaf Hunters' or one half of your supposed 'Nirvana Brothers'." Hinata giggled. The Nirvana Brothers was a term only the chunin instructors from last year ever used and it was only when Rock 'Maito' Lee and Saito Mazaki would fight some of the bullies that would tease them...before they got their asses beaten even if the odds seemed to be in their favor. The young 'Marksman Hunter' sighed in reverence. Those were the good days.

"I miss those days. Kicking the asses of whoever tried to take us on. Even the chunin teachers got their asses kicked a good dozen times before they gave up on trying to beat us. Brother Maito and Brother Saito. Good times. Good times." Anko had stars in her eyes. So he was one of the two who were fabled to have the ability to take down chunins using only Taijutsu and Genjutsu. Oh how he just made her day. "Now enough of the good times I used to have with Brother Lee. I think we accidentally got Anko-sensei interested."

The sadistic grin the woman produced had indeed gotten the students somewhat scared, though Saito had a...different reaction.

_'Oh Inari-sama. She's so fucking hot when she's grinning like that.'_ Saito's eyes widened before pushing the disturbing thought to the back of his mind for later review. Thankfully, Hinata and Tenten couldn't read minds or else they'd have fun torturing him with their...alluring and sensual _techniques. 'If it's sadistic she wants, I'll show her just how much of an animal I can truly be.'_ Anko must have read his mind because she called him down next. _'Come at me, Anko-chan.'_ "Let's get WILD!"

The two charged one another, bent on proving themselves to the other subconsciously while trying to show who was the top dog of Taijutsu in this little match of theirs. Anko moved like a snake, slithering and evading his every strike while lashing out at vital points to counter or strike at an opening. Saito would move in a similar, yet more playful manner...like that of a fox, as he evaded, blocked, countered, showed false openings to get a reaction from the snake before trying to devour her in fast, continuous strikes. If he was allowed to use his Bloodmyst Eye, he would have been able to win with ease due to his blindness training and his own version of the Silent Killing Method. However, without it, the two were seemingly tied with the other. Each landing blows on the other, though those times seemed like rare occurrences to the spectators.

Hinata was beginning to feel a little hot under the collar, knowing that the killing intent was filling her with his pheromones that managed to leak into it. If she could have it her way, she would break her hymen right here and now by tackling him and raping him in front of their teachers and Shino. It didn't matter to her. She NEEDED release soon or else she really WOULD jump her lover's bone and take him without a second thought. It seemed as though Kurenai was suffering from this mysterious heat as well, though she had no comfort in knowing the cause. She was handling it far better than Hinata was though. Maybe because she had been around enough men to have formed a resistance against such a subtle, subconscious attack from pheromones from another male.

Anko, however, had fully fallen to her lust, but she used the fight as an outlet. She would give it her all to simply impress the genin in front of her. Age didn't matter to her. If he could dominate her while she gave her all, she would allow him to be her mate. She didn't question where these lustful thoughts had originated, but she simply fell into the rhythm of the Serpent's Poison Fist while her young protege got into the feel of the combination of the Fox's Trickster Style and the Koumori's Shadow Fist Style.

It was a deadly dance that the two entwined themselves in. Almost immediately, Kyuubi had sent Saito her subconscious agreement to allow this serpent as his mate by causing his body to excrete more pheromones than usual, giving his marked mate and the woman who used to babysit her a form of heat that she knew all too well. The sheer amounts of lust, desire, and acknowledgment flooded the training ground before, in one final move, Saito avoided an over-extended punch to his stomach and threw his body weight into a combination trip and slam causing him to land on her, his clawed hands captured her arms while he sat on her tight, toned stomach.

The match lasted about half an hour, though it only felt like five minutes to them. Sweat coated them in a film of second skin as Anko looked into the red and violet eyes of the Genin who had bested her.

"I guess," whispered Saito as he continued to gaze into those beautiful eyes of his sensei's, trying to catch his breath at the same time, "this means...I win. Does this mean...I get a prize or something?" Anko smiled teasingly at him for a moment before leaning her head forward a bit until only she and Saito could read or hear what her moving lips could say.

"Maybe...when you become...a Chunin," the seductress said hauntingly into his ear. "If you're good, I'll let you mark me like Hinata-chan...and if your little conversation with her makes you as close as I think, Tenten-chan too. But for now, I'll let you look at me...if I think you deserve it."

With that done, the two got off one another before bringing Shino forward. While he was better than the two teachers thought, he was nowhere near as good at Taijutsu as Saito and Hinata, mostly relying on planting his kikai bugs to drain an opponent of his chakra in order to win. Without the insects, Shino was barely at Genin level in Taijutsu and likely Ninjutsu as well, if his kikai bugs devoured as much of his chakra as she believed which gave him nearly perfect chakra control.

In the end, that was one test passed, though they would have to find some other Taijutsu form in order to give him a much better chance at surviving in case he or his team ever had to face an opponent who would be, in many ways, their superior. It was the life of a hunter. You were almost bound to run into someone who was better than you. You simply had to overcome and come out the victor or else you'd end up dead. Something Saito would know to be an intimate truth considering his own burden.

In order to become the hunter, you must first know how to be prey.

It would be Hunter Squad Alpha's Motto....

….Hunter Squad Alpha's Credo.....

….Hunter Squad Alpha's Ninja Way!


	9. Intro into the World of Missions

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Author's Note: As promised, I have closed down the poll after the eighth chapter of Rebirth of a Ninja. I am very proud to say that those of you who have been reading my fiction have given me some of the best reviews I've ever received. The winners for the harem are:

Anko

Kurenai

Hana Inuzuka

and a female Haku Momochi (She was technically the closest thing to a daughter Zabuza will ever have considering how 'terrifying' most people think he is due to his rep.)

Congratulations ladies and I hope I do you all, readers included, proud. I've been having some ideas and I wanted to run them past you all before I do anything. This will be a Sasuke & Sakura bashing fic mostly because they treated Naruto like crap in the show and manga until Shippuden. I was planning on bashing Ino if she didn't make the cut, but I discovered something interesting. What if Ino, the flower girl, married Shino, the insect boy. Some insects have been known to protect flowers and other plant life so would that work? She'd have to get over her entomophobia (fear of insects) first, but I think it could work out. Also, Temari will hook up with Shikamaru as we all know they did in the show.

Now...as for Rin, I was thinking about having her hook up with Gai. Dude may be a freak with that Genjutsu, but even he has to find love too. With Kakashi, I think she and he would be too awkward...especially after Obito. No matter how much he tries to hide it, he, and Rin possibly, are still quite heavily affected by his passing.

Now that I have given it a chance to roll around in my mind, I think I'll have the OC, Motoko Aoyoma from Love Hina (without her obsession with killing, slaying, running through, and over all assassination of all males), as more of a lesbian sister to Saito, hooking her up with Shizune. Ayame, Teuchi's daughter and co-owner of the Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, will hook up with Iruka. The two of them do deserve some form of happiness, don't they?

With Shion and Koyuki, I think I'll hook them up with Itachi (Koyuki) and a male Amaru (Shion). Itachi WILL be a good guy and he WILL live. End of story.

Sasuke...I'm not sure if I should kill him off during the Escape to Orochimaru part or rescue him and exile Saito and his family, causing them to create a new village where Itachi will become a member as well as other people.

Oh well. On with the story.

Chapter Nine: Intro into the Wonderful World of D-Rank Missions

His mismatched eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of shadows as he hid his scent, sound, and sight from his prey. He slowly steadied a single senbon laced with enough paralyzing toxin to take down an army of Iwa ninjas. This little hell spawn would be lucky to even move for the rest of its life if his aim was true. His lovers on the team had reminded him that should his prey die, they wouldn't get paid. Fine by him. If he couldn't kill it, he'd make sure it was nothing more than a statue that had to eat and drink from a tube lodged down its throat.

The darkness was his friend and closest partner. From the darkness, the dull black senbon flew until it was only inches from its victim. A grin that promised pain reached his jaws. If this was the kind of training he and his team got, he'd make sure to get an upgrade as soon as possible. Before the black needle hit its target, he could see another piece of metal, a kunai, deflect it into the ground causing their target to jump up and into his youngest lovers arms. A smack to the back of the head by his other lover caused him to cry in the safe darkness of his mind.

"It was only a senbon," he whispered to himself, knowing everyone else could hear him. "Just a centimeter more and we could have nabbed the cat with ease!"

Another smack interrupted his rant. "That poison on the senbon could have stopped its heart from beating. You could have cost us this mission...AGAIN!"

Spinning around with a righteous fury burning in his eyes, he glared at Anko Miterashi with all the anger he could...which didn't even phase her in the least. "That hell spawn deserves to die for all of the Genin that fell before it! I shall avenge you one day, my fallen Genin brothers!"

This time, Hinata smacked him upside the head with a glare of her own which made the young man whither into his mental shell. "Your 'Genin Brothers' are all Jonin by now and are laughing at the fact that you hate it as much as they did. Only you take it to the extremes by trying to turn it into a statue...permanently or by trying to cause it so much mental damage that it turns into a living zombie without a soul!"

"Sorry, dear," Saito Mazaki muttered, causing Anko, Kurenai, and even Shino to chuckle at the young couple's antics.

"She's got you whipped, Squad Leader," mocked Shino, causing everyone save their Squad Leader, Saito, to laugh even harder.

"Oh don't worry, Shino-chan," the hunter muttered darkly, the glint of promised pain echoing in his mismatched eyes. "Once I find you a suitable partner, you'll know the true tortures of being 'whipped'." At this, Shino withdrew, knowing the oldest-looking male on their team would do so without remorse. He'd probably find the bossiest, meanest, cutest woman there was and get her to like him, causing him to end up getting to know her and liking her in return. Then the whipping would begin.

"Enough with the threats, Saito-kun," said Anko, despite the fact that she too had said man wrapped around her little finger just as much as Hinata and Tenten. "Let's just get the 'Kitten Spawn of Satan' back to her owner so we can collect our pay and get another mission. If you're really good and we get there fast enough, we MIGHT get a C-Ranked Mission." Kurenai tried to cover her friend's mouth, but it was too late. Without a single word, four copies of Saito had appeared from the ground, snatching the team by the wrist and speeding them toward their destination....

**The Hokage Tower....**

As the group of five ninja opened the front door to the Hokage's office, their senses went off, telling them that another team was inside. Without warning...or even much thought, Saito barged through the door with a smile on his face. "Hey, Old Man. We're done hunting down that demon cat. Got another mission for us?"

The 'Old Man' in question, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, had nodded with a smile of his own before motioning for Lady Daimyo to come and pick up her still living cat from Team Hunter. With their pay in hand, the Hokage rummaged through a rather sparse-looking folder with a few other folders inside. "Well, Saito-kun, we have a few D-Ranked Missions left for your team. We have...tracking down Hana Inuzuka's missing Triplets....capturing a group of missing students from the Ninja Academy....and searching for a rare mushroom in Hitako-san's garden for its medicinal use."

Saito and Anko rolled their eyes simultaneously causing many of the people in the room with them to sweat drop. "Come on, Old Man! Give us something good! Give us a C-Rank Mission!" Now everyone face faulted. They were carbon copies. Only one was male and the other female!

Kakashi raised his hand timidly, grabbing everyone's attention. "Are you sure you're not both related somehow?" Everyone else nodded or stayed silent, knowing that the very same question rang through their minds as well.

"The fuck are you talking about, Cyclops? I'm nothing like this gaki/psycho!" Now even their own teammates save for Hinata sweat dropped. The two turned to one another. "I'm not a gaki/psycho! Stop that! I said cut that out!" Anko and Saito smiled at each other before running up to one another and hugging, creating a Genjutsu of a large snake in front of a large demonic-looking fox as they sat on their thrones with pillars of fire behind them.

"Anko-sensei!"

"Saito-kun!"

"NOT ANOTHER ONE!" Without a second thought, Kakashi and Iruka, for some odd reason, had jumped from their positions out the window as they shouted about psychotic clones and flames and evil Genjutsus. Most thought they were talking about Gai and his pupil, Rock Lee, so they simply ignored the screaming pair.

Everyone else seemed to ignore the outburst in favor of trying to get a new mission from their Hokage and as much as the young Mazaki hunter wished he could spend more time hanging out with Hana and the infamous Triplets, who seemed to become rather affectionate with the boy after he cleaned their kennels and gave them a complimentary bath, he REALLY wanted a higher classed mission so he could buy more senbon and other utilities so he could clean and sharpen his weapons. He was starting to run out of whetstones, oil, and cleaning cloths.

"SO! Where's our C-Rank Mission, Old Man," asked Saito in his usual bold expression. The Hokage, taking a moment to look at Kurenai's and Anko's eyes, noted that they were, indeed, ready for a higher ranking mission, rummaged through the files and found the perfect one for their capabilities.

"Alright," the aged man said with an exasperated sigh towards the end. "I have a C-Rank Mission for you, but Team Seven will be joining you as well. Your mission is to protect a bridge builder from Nami while he completes the bridge. His name is Tazuna and this mission means quite a lot for Fire Country and Konoha so do your best to complete it." Turning to the back door, Sarutobi took a deep breath. "You can come in Tazuna."

Without a moments hesitation, a man looking more like an aged fisherman than a bridge builder showed up wearing a gray tunic that showed the bulge in his rather outstanding gut, carrying what civilians would call camping supplies, a towel draped over his shoulders and a pointed hat atop his head, to keep his bald spot from blinding everyone he came into contact with, Saito believed. "This is my protection? I paid good money for an emotionally unstable brat, a girl with pink hair who looks like a stiff wind could knock her down, a mutt who smells better than his owner, a scared little girl, a withdrawn boy, and a wanna-be assassin? Their jonin teachers look even weaker than the men who ran out screaming like little girls! I guess is those women know how to please a man, I could let this..." but he didn't get any further before several senbon and the blade of his kusari-kama found themselves in rather painful and embarrassing places that caused even the other males in the room to cover themselves.

"The next time you think with the wrong head, old man, you'll end up losing both of them in the slowest, most painful way I can think of. I'm a hunter first. A killer second. And a man last so don't think for one second that I'll hesitate to cut off your 'family jewels'." Now, everyone could see Tazuna...and most of the other males in the room, pale at the threat and believed that he would go through with it. Tazuna simply shut his mouth after taking a swig of his sake to steady his nerves.

"Right then," muttered the Third Hokage as he crept his hand from his family jewels and his precious desk filled with his Icha Icha Paradise collection. "Now that you've accepted your joint mission, I'll let you gather your supplies and ask your jonin senseis where and when you should meet back up to start the mission. You're all dismissed." With a nod, Hunter Squad Alpha had seemingly disappeared while Team 7 was forced to walk down stairs and find their sensei and former sensei.

Within moments, Hunter Squad Alpha had met up at their training grounds, the Bloody Forest, they began to discuss when they would meet, what they would bring, and Saito and Hinata's hunches that their client was lying about the mission parameters. The trio of women, after reminding themselves of Tazuna's outlook on women and their young team leader's reaction, thanked him away from Shino, after the team had been sent home, with a kiss on his cheeks and forehead before leaving to pack and prepare for the day their first C-Rank, possibly B-or A-Rank mission, began. A true test of the quality of their training and teamwork after only a month together.

As the quiet ninja and civilians of the village crept off into their futons and beds to retire for another morning of their usual activities, some ninja, including those of Hunter Squad Alpha were praying that they would survive another day. As the moonlight crept through the clouds, young Saito Mazaki smiled silently as he gazed upon his two sleeping lovers nestled in their futons like children in their mother's breasts, fending for the warmth they so desperately cling to.

It was one of the reasons Saito often dreamed of having children. Despite their rambunctious natures, looking at their glowing innocence was like looking at a miracle. Something you never quite get tired of and you always find something more to admire about them. It was why Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon were as close to family, whether it be brotherly or like that of a father to his sons and daughter. He cared for them so much that it was hard for him to let go of their relationship. They were his most powerful reason for becoming stronger. Being an orphan, he knew about the things that had been kept from him. He refused to watch another child go through what he had to. He'd fight...and survive simply to watch the children grow up with the warmth of a loving family and the joy of friendship.

As he walked up the stairs leading to the rooftop of their little warehouse, the young hanyou gazed up into the sky and saw the moon radiate a magnificent red glow. "It truly is a magnificent sight, isn't it Kage-chan?" Without having to turn his head, he could feel the familiar weight of his avian mammal familiar, the 'great and powerful koumori princess', Kagekaze. As a small offer of apology, he offered the dark beauty a slice of apple with a gentle smile.

The bat familiar chirped angrily before taking the apple piece a bit too hurriedly, ending up choking slightly on the piece of fruit offered up to her. With a light tap on the back and a bit of chakra, the large piece of fruit had been broken up and slightly disolved enough for the koumori princess to swallow it before she took another, much smaller bite. **"Indeed it is, Saito-sama,"** said Kagekaze as she too looked into the nights sky. **"I am quite glad you allowed the Koumori tribes and Kitsune tribes to live here. You are quite the good Samaritan and a great leader for our tribes."**

Saito chuckled half-heartedly. This was likely the nineteenth time she asked him to lead their two tribes into greatness under the guise of a compliment. "If I have told you once, I've told you a hundred times, Kagekaze-hime. I will only be an envoy, a patriarch, for the koumori and kitsune tribes. I do not wish to end up having to deal with any angered summons. I already know that the toads will be disappointed in me that I will not and cannot sign their contract, not only due to their connections to my _parents and sister_, but because I don't want people to think I'm trying to become my _father_. It's another reason why I don't want anything to do with the Hiraishin and Rasengan. They were techniques that belonged to my _father_ and they have likely passed onto my _mother and sister_ by now. I am a Mazaki. Not a _Namikaze_ or an _Uzumaki_. I will create my own family traditions, rules, techniques, logo, and motto with the help of Kosuke-jiji and Kyuubi-kaa-san." He held up his hand to the red moon as though trying to grab a hold of it.

"With this power, I will keep them safe. With this determination, I will never back down from an enemy, knowing that if they get past me, they will hurt or destroy all I care for." Kagekaze remembered these words. She had first heard them after asking her summoner why he continued to protect a village that shunned his existence and tried their hardest to kill him on hundreds, if not thousands, of occasions. "These villagers call me a demon? Fine. I'll become a demon if that means protecting my loved ones and everything I hold close to my heart. From the shadows, I will break my enemy. I will show this world that nothing will break me. Even if it comes down to it, Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze will die if she becomes an obstacle in my path as will my sister, Kana. Forgiving them will only become a meaningless gesture to them, making them think I am too weak to go through with any threat against them. I will grow stronger...into the demon I have truly become...so Tenten, Hinata, Old Man Sarutobi, the Ichiraku's, Anko-chan, Kurenai-sensei, and others that will become close to me will remain safe. This is my motto. This is my path. This is my Ninja Way." He clutched his hand until it looked like the moon was completely enraptured in his hand. "Those are my beliefs, Kage-hime. You should know them by now simply by heart. I don't believe in fate or destiny or any of that bullshit that Neji and the other Hyuuga preach about. I believe in carving my own path in life. That's why I refuse to accept the Namikaze or Uzumaki names. I want to get by on my own name and skill. Not on the name and skills of someone else. It's just like Konohamaru says. I want to be seen as me. Not as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Konoha's Yellow Flash or as the son of the Red Death and Uzugakure's Princess, Kushina Uzumaki."

Kagekaze chuckled...chirped really, at Saito's primary ninja way, his second came from Hunter Squad Alpha. **"And both the Kitsune and Koumori tribes will support you and your family as it flourishes through your wisdom, kindness, and power. It is why we wish to have you as our clans leader. We have grown weak through laziness and lack of a summoner and leader. We need someone like you to help us become more powerful. To become the epitome of what we once were and what we can continue to become. Not through fear, but through kindness and wisdom."**

Saito continued to sit on the roof with the two-winged, four eyes koumori princess sitting on his shoulder. "Give me until the Chunin Exam Finals to give you an answer. By then, I will have found the answer within myself on whether I will become your leader. Just remember. Strength does not come from numbers, muscles, mind, or techniques. It comes from your heart and what you wish to do with that strength. If your goal is pure of heart and you have the resolve to never turn your back to it, your heart shall give you the strength you need to protect everything and everyone you hold dear as well as accomplish your goal. That is how I have gained my strength. Not simply because I am a half demon, but because I have the heart to protect my loved ones, the determination to never back down, and the courage to face off against anyone who stands in my way, no matter how much stronger they are than I am."

The koumori princess nodded, purred after finishing her apple slice, and left to sleep with her family. Saito stayed awake for a few more moments before heading down to the futon he shared with Hinata and Tenten and falling asleep.

The gods gazed down at the quiet village, sending their blessings to the boy who had, until his transformation, remained beneath their radar. They would silently pray amongst themselves that the trials they placed ahead of him would not turn him away from them. Inari, the goddess of rice and foxes, however, was not worried about her most devout follower. Instead, she blessed him greater than she had ever blessed anyone else.

His mother, Kyuubi, would sleep soundly with the feel of fox-like power coursing through her son's veins. This would be the time he gained his first kitsune technique, the Fox Fire technique. A technique that created an illustrious Genjutsu that made the opponent think there were searing hot flames surrounding the them before converging and causing him to feel like he was being burned alive. Depending on how much chakra was used, the effect could become somewhat real, tricking his nerves, skin, and brain that actual burns appear on various parts of their body until they either die from the amount of pain that tricked the heart into stopping or by causing them to simply pass out due to extreme amounts of pain flooding his nerves and brain.

Still, with this new ability, and possibly more to come, Saito Mazaki would find his dreams coming one step closer to him. However, in the future, the gods and he could sense the incoming threat that lurked in the Red Dawn and the Village of Sound.


	10. The Mission to Wave Pt1

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction.**

Author's Note: I have received very great reviews from you, my readers and some seem to need clarification about my previous AN. I meant that Amaru would be a male and hook up with Shion. I also planned on hooking up Koyuki with Itachi since most of you seem to enjoy the idea of a good guy Itachi. Gaara will also be a good guy. He'll probably hook up with Kin since I've read a few people want Kin to live and be one of the good guys so this is how I'll let her do that while also being a part of the story.

I do apologize for not putting a lot of Naruto/Tenten action as of yet, but you have to think that the only time they really see one another is in the morning before going off to train or to go out on missions, which probably doesn't leave them much time to make out or even spend some quality time together. I was thinking, however, about having Team Gai sent out on an accidental A-Rank that they can barely handle, allowing me to send Hunter Squad Alpha in order to back them up, giving some Naruto/Tenten, Naruto/Hinata, and Naruto/Tenten/Hinata time.

Thank you for your reviews and for being my readers. Now on with the story.

Chapter Ten: The Mission to Wave Part 1

As young Saito Mazaki woke from his heavy slumber, he could feel his mates presence no longer on him. The familiar weight from their sleeping forms, though still present in the pain coursing through his shoulders and neck, were like a ghost as he stirred from their shared futon. The aroma of Tenten's wonderful home cooking wafted across his nose, leading him down to the kitchen where an empty plate with only crumbs of a piece of toast remained glued to its ceramic mold.

"Good morning, my Steel Magnolia," muttered the hanyou happily as he took his seat at the table. "Where did our Water Lily go off to in such a hurry this morning?" Tenten giggled. It wasn't unlike Hinata to wake up early to train on her own. After all, she could only learn so much from Tenten and himself before her training came to a halt.

"She went to train with your sensei, Anko-chan. She said she needed a little time training with her at your team's training ground." This time, Saito began to pale. Training under Anko, while fruitful, was quite insane for most shinobi. While he was glad to hear Hinata had gone off to train, the fact that she had gone with the woman who had secretly submitted to him after the match had effectively terrified him. He wanted to ask his first two mates about her before allowing them to know he was considering adding her to their family. "This finally gives us a little bit of alone time, Naruto-kun. We haven't spent any time together since your team was formed. My team's been out on missions and your team has been training and doing the occasional D-Ranked mission."

Oh Kamis above. Here they came. The water works that would get the young Mazaki to bend to their wills each and every time. It was WORSE than the damned puppy dog eyes. It was....

Sniffling, Tenten quickly trapped her prey against the wall and in a bear hug that would likely bruise his ribs and spine for the better part of an hour after being released. For the first time in about a year after his eighth birthday, Tenten cried into his shoulder, knowing he would do his best to console her while getting a little face time with her beloved. "We never get to see each other except at breakfast and now you're all heading out on your first C-Rank mission this afternoon. I won't get to see you for almost a month!" Tenten was laying it on a bit thick, but Saito still felt the urge to comfort her.

With a final ounce of will power, the hunter-in-training made his biggest mistake when it comes to women....

...he looked her in the eyes...while she cried.

His resolve was broken. Though he thought they were crocodile tears, they proved to be 100% real. She must have been in so much pain being separated from him for such a long period of time. Now just adding on another month was painful, even for him. He'd been so focused on Hinata that he almost forgot about Tenten's feelings too.

Wrapping his arm around her petite waist, he used his only available hand to cradle Tenten's chin, forcing her eyes to gaze into his loving, mismatched eyes. For a moment, nothing outside of them existed. It was simply him and her, sharing an intimate moment together before he would leave, risking his life for his village, but mostly for her, Hinata, the kitsune and koumori tribes that lived with them, and the children, both orphaned and not so that they could have a better life without worrying about enemies that most likely awaited them outside of their grand gates.

Time slowed down to a crawl for them as their lips drew closer and closer until they were only millimeters apart. Their breaths tickling the other's lips while teasing their noses. Saito smelled of an orchid of fruits ranging from apples and oranges to plums and pears. A cornucopia of fruit that made her salivate. Her breath smelled of strawberries and vanilla, her favorite flavor of ice cream as well as her favorite candle scent. The smell of oil and steel on her body only caused him to become more excited at the prospect that she too was dangerous in her own way. He was...addicted to dangerous women as well as danger itself. Being a ninja was in his genes. The rush of adrenaline from being beaten by mobs had given him this odd addiction, but Hinata and Tenten supported it. Hell. They outright joined him in his pleasure of feeling pain during their training, where they only pulled their most deadly punches so as not to kill one another while achieving the same rush the others did. To them, for now at least, this training simulated sex. They could outright break one of their lovers ribs and it would only cause them more pleasure. For all the time he knew, the two must like it rough as much as he likely did if their spars were any indication.

Before time could resume its normal course, Saito grabbed the back of her head roughly before forcing their lips to come into contact. The pure rush of adrenaline and lust lit up the room as they each fought for dominance. Literally. She tried to use her flexibility to hit behind his knees with her calf, causing him to fall with her on top only for him to spin around and slamming her back against the wall. Their kisses becoming more ferocious with every minute gone by until she managed to trip him up by using her heels to strike his kidneys before headbutting him onto his ass...then his back before she took control. Her brown hair was a mess, but neither cared. This was carnal lust and it had been built up for a long time. She ripped off his shirt before he ripped off hers. Both topless, showing their toned, yet wonderful figures to the other.

"No matter how strong you get, Mazaki," she whispered into his ear as she bent down, giving him a good view of her budding cleavage, "I'll always come out on top." Their lips met again with a furious passion that, had anyone actually been looking, they would have asked themselves whether he was trying to rape her or she trying to rape him. In the end, it would not matter...

….their lust would be satisfied before this mission took hold and they would still remain virgins....

_'Damn it.'_

**A Few Hours Later....**

The sweat and raw smell of almost sex (i.e. both went oral), a fully nude Tenten and Saito lay beneath the covers on the couch. Hinata, who had finished her training, could smell the familiar odors with a faint smile. While she too had forgotten Tenten after their team got together, she had been begging for a chance to let the two reunite as lovers. It came when Anko had called her and only her to train before the mission. Her clothes were tattered and torn slightly, but her ability with the Jyuuken improved by leaps and bounds.

Apparently, the Snake Style Anko used was similar to the Jyuuken...only it required much more flexibility and speed when it came to dodging and striking the opponent. Still, when it came to learning the Taijutsu style, Hinata was a fast learner. She mastered the basic kata after almost a week of studying the movements and the striking patterns. Though, of course, she learned from her beloved Saito, that when there were patterns, there was an off chance that the opponent would memorize it and find openings, causing them to pick it apart with minor ease. Thus why he relied on using two different styles and blending them together to form a single Taijutsu style that didn't rely on patterns. Only ones imagination and ability to adapt to a changing environment. The Fox's Trickster Style relied on evading and countering with feints and showing false openings while the Bat's Shadow Fist relied on fast strikes, the ability to hide in ones environment, and being able to fight without using ones eyes...only sound.

Thus, the Fist of the Hidden Trickster was born. Saito was a master of the two styles thanks to his training by Kyuubi and Kosuke in his mindscape. He had memorized the forms. All he had to do to truly master them, was to commit them to his muscle memory, which he did in about a year or two after being released from the hospital. He had yet to master the combined Taijutsu style, but with his determination and skill, he would likely have it down in time for the Chunin Exams coming up. While he had mastered the Taijutsu styles and simply said he was adept at Taijutsu, it was only that he preferred attacking from a distance and from the shadows that kept him from truly shining in that aspect of ninja life. Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, however, were a different story...and one for a later date.

For now, Hinata strode into the room they had reserved for their rare bouts of almost sex and smiled at the two as they simply lay too exhausted to mutter a hello. Their glow and smiles were enough for her...for now. "Hello, Saito-koi. Hello, Tenten-hime. I take it you had a pleasant morning?"

"I know you...better than that..., my beloved Hinata-hime," muttered Saito with a little bit of his strength. "You...did that on...purpose. Training...was just a means...to an end."

"So you regret doing what you did with Tenten-hime," the sly princess, Hinata, had asked with a smirk.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were part vixen, Hime." Tenten chuckled and Hinata giggled at the statement. It was truly Hinata who had become more in touch with the demonic nature of their mating marks. Her canines had grown long, though not nearly as long as Saito's and she also became more outgoing. Tenten, on the other hand, didn't display anything as bold as Hinata. Her changes were more subtle, though her sexual advances on them both had seen a slight increase after their first month. For a minute, Saito's mind began to work a bit harder than usual after their third round. Maybe it was because of her bloodline being of demonic origin that Hinata's more demonic side had come out so early. Tenten didn't have a bloodline...or at least, not one that has shown itself, so her demonic state is coming out more slowly. It needed a bit of proving and a bit of testing, but that would have to wait for another day.

Right now, he had to get ready and prepare for his teams mission. Before leaving for his personal room, he turned around and spoke to Tenten. "Since we'll be gone for about a month, maybe longer, send a summon with a letter to inform us on anything that changes with your team, like a mission that just came up or one of your teammates was captured, or simply to write to us. We'll respond similarly to you and will come to your team's aid if needed. Alright?" Tenten nodded. She knew their self-imposed procedure.

Tenten had signed with the Kitsune tribe while Hinata signed with the Koumori tribe due to their mating marks. The marks determined what traits would be affected as they became half-demons like him. Hinata would become a Koumori Hanyou and would likely feel the addiction to fruits like he did. Tenten would become a Kitsune Hanyou, giving her a much more sexual frame of mind, a perfect sense of Genjutsu detection, longer, sharper nails and canines, and a taste for medium-rare meat.

If one of them were in trouble, they would send a summons to their mate to inform them of their change of status. They would try and complete their original mission faster in order to come to the aide of the one in trouble. If they were going to be raped, use everything they had to try and summon something to help defend them while sending out a flare of their chakra that would activate a beacon in their mating marks, allowing the other mates to find them as fast as possible. If they were successfully raped, they would have performed the Birth Control Jutsu immediately to sterilize themselves momentarily while also sterilizing any sperm in their wombs, preventing them from getting pregnant. After that, provided they had gathered up enough yokai, their wounds, including the torn hymen, would be healed to perfect health. If not, Saito himself would have to channel enough yokai into their bodies to fix the damage the rape had done.

Their hymens would automatically regenerate naturally until their mate, who had marked them, had broken it himself.

Though they never believed it would happen to them at the age they were, Saito wasn't going to take that chance and told them as such. They were closer to him than he had ever allowed anyone to become in his youth as Naruto Uzumaki and he wouldn't allow that to slip away so easily.

Shaking their heads of the thoughts that they might actually have to use the emergency procedures, Hinata too had gone to pack her supplies while Tenten simply got dressed in her usual outfit, though this one was green and brown contrary to her normal pink and red. Colors, Saito had said, were so bright, it could alert an enemy to their position. Lee's jumpsuit, while vibrantly green, had been toned down to a much darker version thanks to his brother's talks about stealth being necessary to a ninja...even if they dedicated themselves to Taijutsu alone.

After about fifteen minutes, Saito walked out wearing his usual mission clothes which included a dark green long sleeved shirt with light armor plating woven between the fabrics and his level 6 gravity seal hidden on the plate that covered his pectorals and heart from incoming projectiles, a pair of dark brown cargo pants with similar plating to his shirt and added level 6 gravity and 2000 lb. weight seals to help increase his already surprising amount of speed, dark green leather bracers with 1000 lb. weight seals etched into the hidden part of the leather, dark brown combat boots with 1000 lb. weight seals etched into the inner soles of each boot. In addition, he wore a pair of dark green leather gloves with the Konoha symbol etched into a sewn on metal plate located on the back of each hand. On the other side of the plates was a weight seal for 100 lbs. a piece.

A few more minutes and Hinata too came out wearing a dark green trench coat with numerous pockets for hiding weapons or poisons, though underneath that was a fishnet short sleeved shirt. Instead of the brown skirt Anko usually opted for, Hinata wore a dark brown pair of tight fitting cargo pants and dark brown combat boots with the same specifications her lover's came with though her weights were at 1000 lbs. over her body and 500 lbs. on her limbs while going under 4x Normal Gravity. In short...it looked like Anko and Naruto had a baby and dyed her hair blue, though even that was changing, due to her more demonic influence, to blue with streaks of white and black, though the black was clearly beginning to dominate the blue.

With a wolf whistle, Hinata and Saito looked at one another with a smirk. They were ready for anything to come their way now. If needed, the seals would reset to their basic levels of 1x Normal Gravity and 0 lbs. of weight with just a quick flare of their chakra. Still, the two prayed that they wouldn't have to do that. "Wow! You two look like you could fuck all day while slaughtering any enemy that got in your way!" Of course, this was overly exaggerated, the duo still had to admit they looked damned sexy and ready for battle. With a final hug...kiss....well, they made out for the better part of fifteen minutes before Hinata and Saito were practically thrown out of their own home by their better third.

As the duo made their way to the meeting place outside of the Eastern Gate, they could see the outlines of the rest of their team as well as 'Team Emotion', as Hunter Squad Alpha had grown accustomed to calling them. Sakura was love/lust. Kiba was anger and jealousy. Sasuke was....just about every negative emotion rolled into one kid who had the short fuse of a 3 Second Explosive Note and the temper of about a half-dozen explosive notes rolled into a ball. The duo barely showed a smile to their own teammates before finally seeing Kakashi and their client, Tazuna.

"What kept you," demanded Kakashi as he glared at the tardy duo. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"

Saito glared at the Jonin, his purple eye glowing with chakra. "Shut it, Hatake. You're not our teacher and even if you were, you don't really have any say in it because I KNOW for a fact that you're at least an hour late to everything...including missions. So by your own logic, you should be reprimanding yourself as well."

"But I am a Jonin. I make the rules and you Genin obey them." Saito laughed.

"No. You may be a Jonin, but only Genin under your command obey the rules you make. OUR senseis have told us to get here at this exact time. Shino just got here early." Twitching his head toward Anko and Kurenai, the young hunter continued. "Why don't you ask them yourselves or save yourself some face by shutting up and dealing with your own team rather than mine."

For a brief moment, Kakashi Hatake considered retorting with a threat of being reported, but with the looks Anko, Kurenai, that weak Hyuuga heiress, and this Saito character, he believed that doing so would lead him to an early grave so he wisely shut his trap and focused on his team, or more noticeably, the last Uchiha. "Team Seven. Line up in the Diamond formation around Tazuna. Prepare to move out."

As Team Seven was walking out of the gate with Tazuna, Hunter Squad Alpha got together and decided to get in a more random formation allowing them to go on either the offensive or defensive at the drop of a pin.

Taking a moment before leaving to follow the group, Saito took care to cover his red eye, allowing his violet eye to glow barely brighter. He had been trying to reduce his reliance on his Bloodmyst Eye with Anko, trying to match her, if not beat her, like he had during their test. He hid in the shadows, used every long-ranged technique in his arsenal, and still he couldn't beat her. Before, during the test, he held an inkling about how he beat his sensei.

It had been his mother, Kyuubi...the majority of the time. Her power coursed through his veins at that point, allowing his demonic nature to come out, increasing the level of bloodlust he displayed as well as the level of pheromones he subconsciously let out. After that, he refused to use his bloodlines or his yokai unless he was in absolute danger that it could not be helped. Until he got his massive amount of power under control, it would be useless and could not help him protect his loved ones.

So he trained with Anko in order to help him reduce his reliance on his bloodline. When she was not available, he would use a dozen Shadow Clones in her place, reducing his chakra output to the blood red mist-filled eye completely by covering it like Kakashi did his Sharingan. As much as he loathed to admit it, the Copy Ninja had given him the idea of covering his eye completely in order to remove the subconscious supply of chakra to it by making his brain think his eye had been removed. In order to do this, he had to cover it with his headband. He chuckled. Because there were no shadow-based bloodlines, save the Nara clan's version of Shadow Bending compared to his Shadow Summoning, which greatly aided him in his summoning of the Koumori tribe without making it look like a real summoning.

Still, without using his summons, his bloodlines, or his yokai, he still could not beat Anko when she went without her snake summons. She claimed that she didn't use her summons because he wouldn't, but he could tell she was lying a great deal. He knew she cared for him and until he could prove to her that he was strong enough to beat her without her summons, she would think that, while powerful with his bloodlines, he was weak without them and wouldn't be worthy of her affection.

He learned from beating Neji and Sasuke that bloodlines could always be beaten with a proper strategy. Sasuke's clan was struck down by his brother, Saito's first true sensei, Itachi, without the Sharingan. He only used his speed and kenjutsu to kill them all. Even individually, Itachi Uchiha without his Sharingan active had successfully destroyed his clan while their Sharingan's blazed with 'power'. It was a testament to the level of intelligence and strength Itachi had attained without his Sharingan. He himself had beaten Neji while his Byakugan had been activated. Who knew the All-Seeing Eyes had a 5 degree blind spot in the backs of their heads? Hinata did, but never told him due to its embarrassing nature. If any would-be rapist could get close enough to the Hyuuga women from behind to get into their blind spots...well, the rest is simple and doesn't need explaining.

He had first found out when a senbon had ventured into his spine, temporarily paralyzing him from the neck down. After that, he kept doing it during spars to either prove a point or just for the hell of experimentation to see if there truly was a blind spot. In the end, Hinata had forced him to swear not to do it again unless there was a promotion on the line. When Hinata had done that, Saito knew the experiment was fruitful and agreed after confronting Hinata with the information he had gathered. He didn't want to hurt her again after that tear-filled confession.

Still, he knew that if he wanted to be strong, his resolve to become stronger in order to protect his loved ones would need to become stronger. His will to fight and defend must be tempered in steel. He would prove himself to his lovers and his loved ones by using every fiber of his soul to become stronger. Still, his training without the use of his summons or bloodlines was proving fruitful. Every other week, he could sense himself becoming more powerful than before, but still...he couldn't beat Anko.

That didn't matter now. They had a mission to complete and their client, no matter how much of a drunken ass he was, would probably die in the arms of Team 7. "Come on, Alpha Squad. Tazuna needs our protection and we can't just let Team Emo take it over. Let's move." A silent nod and Hunter Squad Alpha was en route as they silently flew through the trees, their only companions were each other, the winged beasts that controlled the skies, and the very wind that blew through their hair. Team 7 had simply thought that the other team was slow and told themselves that a team that needed 2 senseis was bound for disaster.

Hours passed and Team 7 were trying to defend their client...though Sakura's incessant nagging at their client about ninjas being in a village/country that don't even have a ninja village remotely around it save for Mist and that is across a rather large portion of ocean. When they passed by a small puddle, nobody save Kakashi noticed something strange was happening and kept moving forward. It wasn't until about five minutes after their passing that the two shinobi hidden in the puddle emerged and wrapped Kakashi Hatake in their chain laced with a deadly toxin and several spikes before 'killing' him in a gory display of strength. Kiba, Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna gasped, backing away in fear for only a moment before finally taking notice of their opponents.

One of the shinobi before them had long black hair that reached his shoulders and a claw-like gauntlet on his right arm. An unmarked Mist Headband shone proudly on his forehead and a long metal horn protruded from the top and a typical Rain Ninja re-breather on his jaws. His partner, however, had brown hair with a similar style claw on his left arm. The duo wore dark brown camouflage and knee-long combat boots with the toes missing. The menacing chain linking their arms together gave them the appearance of a pair of demons, or so Sakura believed.

It didn't take but a moment for the duo to get behind Kiba and Akamaru who were too stunned to say or do anything. As their chain got closer and closer to wrapping up the paralyzed Inuzuka, an arrow with a spiraling white tip pierced the center of the chain, continuing to run it through until it struck the tree. When the arrowhead touched the tree, the white tip dispersed along the chain, severing each individual link until the two ninjas attached to it broke the chain from their gloves and jumped away. When the brown-haired ninja looked over to where the arrow came from, the last thing he saw was a single glowing purple eye before darkness consumed him. In reality, the young ninja fell unconscious.

Seeing his brother down, the black-haired ninja jumped toward the spot his brother was looking at before falling unconscious and lashed out with a chain once again. This time, the chain acted like a whip with barbs on it, allowing it to slice through the foliage to reveal...

...nothing. No signs of even a single person being there were seen. Not even residual chakra. Spinning around again, he lashed out with his chain to clear the leaves off the trees around him before turning his attention onto the genin in front of him and their target. Without hesitation, the remaining shinobi charged forth and tried to complete his mission by killing the bridge builder before a sharp pain in his spine rendered him useless. That one pain was followed by five more blows that drained the chakra running through his arms, legs, and head, forcing him into unconsciousness with his fallen brother.

Once all of the dust settled, Team 7 watched as Kurenai, Anko, Saito, and Shino came out from their placed in the forest followed closely by Kakashi, who they believed had died. The first one to react...was Sakura.

"What...the...HELL was that," she asked, screeching like a monkey on crack. "They just showed up out of nowhere and stole Sasuke-kun's glory!"

Saito's eye twitched. "If you had bothered to notice, you three froze up as soon as Kakashi was 'killed'. You would have been too easy to kill, even by my standards, if I had been an enemy ninja sent to kill your client."

"Then why didn't you interfere before they tried to kill me," demanded Kakashi of Saito.

"Because if you were anywhere near deserving of your rank, you'd have seen through their Genjutsu and killed them with ease. Especially since you were Former Anbu Captain Inu." This caused Kakashi to flinch, though nobody noticed that, much less the fact that his color drained itself from his face. "For now, it does not matter. We still have a mission to complete and a bridge builder to protect. I don't know about your squad, Kakashi, but my squad have been trained for missions and situations like this. Alpha Squad, let's move out."

Before the five of them could move, Kakashi had told them that since their team took the lead on the mission, that it was up to his squad to determine whether the co-op mission would continue or not. "Now I know that after facing two Chunin-Ranked opponents, some of you might be skeptical about the mission parameters, but whether we go on or not, I will continue to train you regardless."

Turning to his team, he could see the looks on his students' faces. Sakura was doubting herself, Kiba was angry and...jealous? Sasuke too was angry, though he would guess it was because the supposed 'Dead Last' was getting stronger than he was even though he knew more jutsus than Saito did...or so he liked to believe. "So I'm giving you a choice. We can continue on and likely run into stronger opposition and train harder than ever before or we can turn back and get some more D-Ranked Missions followed by moderately paced training."

Sasuke's reaction was instantaneous. "Hn. If the dobe can take down those Chunins, I must be able to handle anything stronger that we come up against. I'm going." Secretly, the emotionally unstable child was thinking, _'How did the dobe get so much power? That should be my power. I need such power to kill Itachi.'_

Well, as the power-hungry youth brooded like the spoiled emo brat he really was, Kiba had gotten the balls to speak up too. "Yeah. Anything the dobe can do, we can do five times better. I'm going too." Secretly, or not so much if you could read his body language, Kiba was thinking, _'How the hell did the dobe get Hinata and two hot teachers? I swear. By the end of this mission, all three of them will be begging me to be my alpha bitch.'_ Yeah. For some reason, Hinata, Anko, Kurenai, and Saito were fighting the urge to neuter the constantly horny mutt while trying to find out if his partner, Akamaru, would object to neutering his master/partner.

Amazingly enough, or not so much if you knew how horny for Sasuke she could get, Sakura too had something to say. "Yeah. I bet Sasuke-kun will show the dead last how superior he is at the next fight we get into. I'm going if Sasuke-kun is going."

"Haruno, if Sasuke can keep from either pissing or shitting in his drawers after this, I'll have a small amount of respect for him. Still, that will just bring his 'Respect Level' up from 'Total Chicken Shit Bastard' to 'Simple Chicken Shit Bastard'. Just so you know, that's still better than where I hold Hatake on my 'Respect-o-meter'. He's at 'Hypocritical Chicken Shit Bastard', the lowest point on my 'Respect Charts'," said the young Mazaki boy with no hints of respect or regret laced within his voice.

Anko, Kurenai, and the rest of the Hunter Squad laughed while Squad 7 and Kakashi tried to reprimand such 'lowly behavior' from such a 'worthless Genin'. Still, the vote just caused Squad 7 and Hunter Squad Alpha to continue forth with a still-living and happy client in the center of their formation.

Unknown to them, something or someone far more powerful was plotting their next move.

**Hidden Base In Land of Waves....**

"So the Demon Brother's have failed to kill the bridge builder, eh Haku," asked a rough, husky voice from the shadows of the carefully hidden base. Before him stood a woman wearing the mask of a slain Hunter Ninja from the Mist. A dark blue battle kimono over striped green pants kept her carefully concealed breasts hidden from view. Two bangs of black hair framed her mask while the rest was bound in a bun, covered by a cloth. If anyone else could see her, they would swear she was a man.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama," she said, the mask muffling her voice into a lower octave than normal. "They had been defeated, interrogated, and killed by 2 Konoha squads, though one had two female senseis while the other had a single male sensei. It was the squad with three females that had done the work of slaying the Demon Brothers. A Genin with long black hair with red streaks and a strange red and purple eye had done most of the work, allowing his Hyuuga teammate to dispose of Gozu while he took out Meizu. Before they had a chance to use any Ninjutsu, I could feel their chakra signatures being drained, but no visible technique was doing the draining."

"Hmm," the figure known as Zabuza mumbled to himself, contemplating the news. "It sounds like their squad consisted of a strong, clanless Genin, a Hyuuga, and an Aburame. Their senseis confuse me though. Who could they possibly be to have gotten the right to have two people teach them as a squad? And exactly who are their senseis anyway?" The 'Hunter Nin' was about to speak before a rather large hand silenced her. "I guess we'll just have to find out ourselves, huh Haku, my perfect tool?"

Haku, the 'Hunter Nin', sighed to herself before straightening herself and bowing politely. "Hai, Zabuza-sama. With the speed they are currently traveling at, they will reach the ferryboat by tomorrow afternoon. We can ambush them after they have crossed into Wave, Zabuza-sama."

"Yes," he whispered darkly, his mind's cogs beginning to turn as numerous plans ran through his mind for their confrontation with the Konoha Squads and the old bridge builder. "We attack tomorrow after they have crossed the border. Go gather your belongings, Haku. You will wait for my signal. If it looks like I am in danger, you will interfere as a Mist Hunter Ninja. If I give you the signal, however, you are to freeze their feet to the ground before taking down each and every one of them."

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Without another word, the duo decided to spend the rest of the night preparing for their encounter tomorrow, unaware of the true skills of the two teams or the people leading them.


	11. The Mission to Wave Pt2

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it.**

Chapter Eleven: The Mission to Wave Part 2

**Hidden Base In Land of Waves....**

Hmm," the figure known as Zabuza mumbled to himself, contemplating the news. "It sounds like their squad consisted of a strong, clanless Genin, a Hyuuga, and an Aburame. Their senseis confuse me though. Who could they possibly be to have gotten the right to have two people teach them as a squad? And exactly who are their senseis anyway?" The 'Hunter Nin' was about to speak before a rather large hand silenced her. "I guess we'll just have to find out ourselves, huh Haku, my perfect tool?"

Haku, the 'Hunter Nin', sighed to herself before straightening herself and bowing politely. "Hai, Zabuza-sama. With the speed they are currently traveling at, they will reach the ferryboat by tomorrow afternoon. We can ambush them after they have crossed into Wave, Zabuza-sama."

"Yes," he whispered darkly, his mind's cogs beginning to turn as numerous plans ran through his mind for their confrontation with the Konoha Squads and the old bridge builder. "We attack tomorrow after they have crossed the border. Go gather your belongings, Haku. You will wait for my signal. If it looks like I am in danger, you will interfere as a Mist Hunter Ninja. If I give you the signal, however, you are to freeze their feet to the ground before taking down each and every one of them."

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Without another word, the duo decided to spend the rest of the night preparing for their encounter tomorrow, unaware of the true skills of the two teams or the people leading them.

**14 Miles from Wave/Fire Country Border....**

They were already halfway to their access point into Wave and Hunter Squad Alpha was already getting sick of the mission. Kurenai and Anko seemed to be doing fine, but Sakura's constant whining was definitely grating on the purple-haired woman's nerves. For a moment, Saito could have sworn he saw the beauty reach into her weapon's pouch for a kunai before Kurenai slapped it gently before turning their full attention to the path ahead. Shino was keeping his eyes and ears occupied by silently communicating to his kikai insects and keeping his awareness stretched out to its farthest point. Hinata also seemed to be trying to control her lover as she had to constantly keep him from silencing their pink-haired 'comrade' with a salvo of senbon laced with a powerful poison. Saito refused to listen to such a pain-inducing noise as Sakura Haruno's voice. Tazuna, Sasuke, Kiba, and Kakashi seemed to ignore it, like it was something they had gotten used to.

"Is it just me or is that bitch a freaking beacon for anyone who's trying to KILL our CLIENT as well as ourselves," Saito shouted with a single eye twitching. Hinata sighed when Anko agreed with just as much fervor as her beloved.

"Honey," the young Hyuuga heiress said in a calm tone. "I know that Sakura-san isn't the most likable person, and neither is her team, but they haven't been on as many C-Rank Missions as we have. They're bound to make mistakes, even if most of them are something so easily avoidable that it shouldn't need explanation."

Saito looked sideways toward his teammate, best friend, and lover with a deep sense of boredom etched across his face. "See. Even you know that during a mission, right after you got attacked by rogue ninjas, the first thing you SHOULDN'T be doing is yelling questions at the top of your lungs at the person who hired us under false pretenses."

Apparently Kakashi had heard this and thus decided to speak up. "Then why are you still continuing on with the mission?"

"I don't do it for our client's fat ass, if that's what you're asking. I'm doing it for my own personal reasons. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" Kakashi seemed to ignore the come back question in favor of reading his little orange book. "And that is why you'll never get laid, Scarecrow." Kurenai and Anko both seemed to enjoy the display of humiliation their young genin displayed against a man nearly three times his age with more experience in the world of ninjas.

"Why? Because I refuse to respond to your childish antics?" Saito laughed and shook his head.

"Nope. You read way too much porn for it to be anything but a deterrent in that pathetic thing you call your sex life." The young hanyou simply let the male jonin absorb the response before he pulled out his own little orange book and began to read it. Kakashi smirked.

"Now who's the pot calling the kettle black," he answered, keeping his nose in his porn. "You're sex life's probably ten times worse than mine."

Closing the book momentarily, Saito flashed Team Seven the cover of his book. "Sorry to disappoint you, Kakashi, but this isn't Icha Icha. It's a different book called Loveless. Rather, it's a series of poems that I, as well as my team, find rather interesting."

Opening the book again, Saito began to recite a few stanzas from the ancient tome.

"_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end.  
The goddess descends from the sky.  
Wings of light and dark spread afar.  
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting._

_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess.  
We seek it thus, and take into the sky.  
Ripples form on the water's surface.  
The wandering soul knows no rest._"

Everyone stayed silent. Kakashi was just thinking about how boring such a poem was if there was no action scenes or sex scenes anywhere in it. Sakura and the rest of her team were simply stupified. It didn't make any sense to them and the bridge builder seemed just as equally lost for words. Hunter Squad Alpha were the only ones who understood the complexity, yet simplistic meaning of the words, hanging onto them with every fiber of their lives. "It also has a storyline to it, but I doubt you'd even care for it anyways. You're simply too busy reading porn to actually bother to read something as beautiful as this."

His eyes plead of a neutral innocence as he kept reading the first chapter with renewed fervor while keeping his senses open to a degree that none of the others could possibly imagine. Perhaps it was because of his bloodlines. Perhaps it was because he was technically a half-demon. Whatever the reason, Saito's senses were more easily accessed and improved that he'd likely notice Kiba and his mother trying to sneak up on him in the dead of night while facing downwind of him.

Still, the day wasn't a total waste. They managed to make it to the edge of Fire Country while only having to rest twice. Once about an hour after the Demon Brother's arrival and subsequent ass kicking. The next was about halfway there when Team Seven suddenly found themselves hungry save Kakashi, who simply picked up one of those tasteless nutrition bars and kept moving until his genin's stomachs roared for something to eat. When Saito came back with a rather large boar heaved over his shoulders, Sakura refused to eat it because it was so fatty. She refused to eat anything...until Saito said that he only hunted once a day and this boar would satisfy his team with very few leftovers for anyone else to eat. Afterwards, Sakura continued to curse him for feeding her such a fatty food until they were three-quarters of the way to their current destination when she realized he simply ignored her in favor of listening to his girlfriend talk.

As they reached the border where they were supposed to meet their ride to the other side, a dark figure hidden by the haze was coming closer to them with hardly a sound. A single operator was visible, but the boat was obviously too small to carry two teams. If Kakashi was glad, it was barely visible.

Once the ferry came into view, Tazuna smiled gently before approaching him. "Hello, Wakashi. How are your wife and grandchildren doing?" Wakashi maintained his borderline angry look.

"They're doing fine, but if Gato ever found out I was helping you," he said, leaving the point of his words unsaid. Tazuna nodded as he got aboard the vessel. Kakashi followed closely behind with Sasuke, Kiba, and Sakura behind him.

Spinning around, Kakashi gave one of his most infamous eye smiles as the boat took off rather quickly. "Sorry, but there doesn't seem to be enough room for you and your team, Kurenai. Looks like you'll have to wait for the boat to return." With a wave of his hand, Kakashi, Tazuna, and Team Seven disappeared in the veil of mist that surrounded Wave.

As soon as Team Seven was out of sight, Saito sighed heavily. "I really didn't want to have to do this so soon, but I have no other choice." With a quick set of hand seals, the young hunter slammed his palms against the ground, a web of strange symbols radiating from the point of impact before a plume of smoke brought forth a large black bat nearly twice the size of the boat Kakashi's team left on. The amount of chakra drained from Saito's reserves was barely one-fifteenth of his total chakra capacity.

"**Saito-chan," **squeaked the large koumori. **"What do you need from little old me?"**

Saito cleared his throat briefly before returning the koumori's question with a smile. "We need your help transporting us to Wave. It's more chakra conserving if we used a summoned transport rather than walking on water. I know you're the fastest bat the summons offer me aside from Jigu-chan and she would take too much chakra from me to possibly be effective. I don't want to use my yokai until I know that it's an emergency. That and using my human chakra will make the hanyou transformation into a full demon that much quicker, Kanami-hime."

The large bat turned around and gave her summoner a quick hug before laying down on her belly to allow Saito's friends and teammates to get on. **"Hold on tight, everyone! This will only take a second!"** With a single flap of her wings, Kanami was off the ground and floating in the air before taking off with another mighty gust. Everyone save their captain held on to the great bat's back with everything they had as it flew past Kakashi's team in a matter of seconds before landing in a clearing across from the immediate shoreline.

"Thank you, Kanami-hime. Remind me to feed you three bushel's full of plums when we get back home." Kanami smiled before nodding and disappearing from sight. Anko, who was busy sitting on the ground and praying the ride was over, noticed the summons disappear before running over to Saito and slamming his back into a tree.

"Give us a bit of warning next time, shrimp," she shouted as she slammed him into the tree again. "If you ever, EVER, do something like that again, I'll make sure to train you so hard you'll be begging to die!" After that was said, the semi-irrational woman pressed her lips into the young hunter's with a ferocity unseen since their taijutsu match nearly five months ago. Without warning, Saito returned the gesture with renewed gusto. The scene was radiating so many pheromones that Hinata and Kurenai found it difficult not to charge right in and enter a four-way make-out session. Half an hour later, the duo finally released themselves from the hot and heavy attacks before gathering their bearings and heading out to the edge where they would meet Kakashi's squad who was bound to be surprised by their early arrival.

"Remember," said Saito quietly to his team, "if Kakashi asks how we got here, we'll say Anko summoned a water snake that we used to travel on. I don't want him or his team to know I can summon two types of demons. Especially Sasuke. He'd only demand I teach him how to summon and I believe my summons would slaughter him if he even tried to forcibly sign the contract."

Anko and the others nodded before finally seeing Kakashi's boat come into view. As soon as the boat docked, their faces spoke volumes about how surprised they were. Kakashi, however, maintained a neutral face as he looked upon the other squad in spite. "I was beginning to think I'd be an old man/woman before you got here, Hatake," said Saito and Anko in perfect synchronicity as they tapped their left foot on the ground in perfect rhythm and matching grins.

"But how," stuttered Sakura and Kiba, whose jaws had practically been floored by now.

"It's a ninja secret. You'll learn eventually, though that might not be for a very long time, pinky," called the snake mistress as she placed a playful hand atop Saito's head. Said man grimaced, knowing that she knew he hated the simple action.

Everything was silent before the group decided to move out and head toward the village. Twelve minutes later, Hunter Squad Alpha's senses were tingling. Without hesitation, the young hanyou drew five senbon and launched them at a nearby bush. The bush shook slightly...then silence reigned over them again. Walking over to the bush, Hinata moved the leafy brush away to find a white rabbit nearly pinned to the tree. Sakura started to scream.

"HOW COULD YOU," the young banshee screeched as her fist grew clenched in growing fury. "YOU NEARLY KILLED A DEFENSELESS WHITE BUNNY! YOU'RE A MONSTER!" Saito simply rolled his eyes.

"If you're going to say something or call me names, say something I haven't heard or shut your dumb ass up." Sakura's fury only seemed to grow as time passed on. "Now, I'll try and make two points that I hope you'll understand soon. Number one. It's the middle of summer. A rabbit like this one would have shed its winter fur by now, yet it hasn't. Number two. All the animals I hunt to feed us are innocent. All that meat we eat comes from innocent animals who had to die so that we could live."

Kurenai decided to begin where her young student left off. "Since this rabbit hasn't shed its fur, it must have been bred indoors for use in a Substitution jutsu. Meaning that whoever used it must still be nearby."

Immediately, everyone was aware of a danger in the area and prepared themselves as best as they could. Kiba and Akamaru both stood ready, small hints of chakra wisps floating around them as their nails lengthened into claws. Sakura drew a single kunai and held it defensively as she had been taught to in the academy. Sasuke drew two kunai and prepared for anything that might come. After all, he was an Uchiha. He was superior to everyone. Kakashi prepared to gauge the enemy or enemies capabilities and, based on that, was prepared to unleash his hidden Sharingan Eye if he needed to.

Kurenai was immediately flipping through numerous amounts of Genjutsu that she knew, prepared to unleash any one of them in case they needed it. Anko was already prepared, having drawn a single kunai while keeping her other hand available for making half seals for the various Ninjutsu she knew intimately. Shino's kikai were spreading out wide in search of any hidden allies their opponent might have waiting in the forest around them.

Saito smiled and drew his Kusari-gama from around his shoulder and chest. He had this itch in his mind that he would be able to truly test not only his own, but the abilities of his team, even after all of their training and various missions from C-Rank to the occasional B-Rank Mission. This opponent was bound to be stronger than anyone they had ever faced before, causing his senses to reach a state of almost hyper-awareness. The weapon was familiar to his hands, as was every other weapon he carried, thus allowing him to channel his Wind Affinity into the blade and Earth Affinity into the weighted end on instinct.

A psychotic laughter broke the silence until the familiar sound of a blade splitting through the air caught the Jonin's and Saito's attention. "DUCK!" Hinata and Shino dropped to the ground with Kurenai's and Anko's assistance while Kakashi and Sasuke helped take down Sakura and Kiba. Saito yanked on the collar of the bridge builder, bringing him to rest face first in the dirt. Saito was on his knee as he watched the blade fly through the air through where their necks or chests would have been before slicing halfway through the trunk of a tree where a strange-looking man with short cut black hair that spiked upward. His eyebrows were...non-existant. He opted to wear a pair of striped blue pants held up by a set of belts that strapped tight across his chest. Two cow print wrist warmers that reached up to his elbows were the only odd thing about his garb...well, aside from the giant cleaver he now stood on and his bandaged mouth and nose.

"Sharingan Kakashi," the man said with an air of bloodlust and joy ringing in his voice. "Now I see why the Demon Brothers failed to kill the bridge builder." While Kakashi puffed out his chest slightly, Saito developed a twitch in his eye.

"If there's one thing I can't stand more than rapists, it's people who take credit for someone's work!" Saito walked forward a bit before looking up at the odd man atop his blade. "It was my squad the saved the bridge builder's ass. Not Hatake's." A glimmer of recognition shone in the man's eyes.

"I know. My spy reported that it was you who did most of the work in the battle. What's your name, kid," he asked.

"Saito Mazaki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Momochi." For a moment, everything was silent.

"So you know who I am, do you," the now revealed Zabuza said as he raised his chin slightly. "Then you must know how I got my nickname and why you don't stand a chance against me." Saito smirked slightly.

"Well, in my village, I got a bit of a nickname myself. They call me the Blood Myst Kitsune. It's a special...situation that gave me that nickname and I have learned to gladly embrace it." The people around him were either confused or had a feeling they knew exactly what he was talking about. Those who knew were Hunter Squad Alpha and Kakashi, though Team Seven was ignorant and thought he was simply trying to make himself sound cool.

Zabuza looked on with a hidden grin. "Then let me find out if you're worthy of that nickname, Mazaki-san."

Saito grinned as well, removing his headband from his covered eye to reveal a blood red slitted eye with a thick red mist moving through it. Using the Kusari-gama to slice open his palm, he let the blood fall to the ground, though it began to create a thick bloody mist just before it fell. "This is my Blood Myst Eye, Zabuza. I've only used it once and that was when it activated when I was 10. I've been training to be able to fight without relying on it, though I think that this would be a good way to test just how far my Silent Killing Technique has come since I began working on it." As the mist began to thicken, Hinata instantly activated her Byakugan and could barely see her beloved as he jumped into the air and into a tree.

Everything was silent until the sound of metal striking metal reached their ears. Three times did they hear the clash of metal before the sound of metal striking flesh was heard. Zabuza was hidden in the mist, as was the person he was facing. He felt the first wound impact his arm as the weighted end of the weapon the raven-haired hunter used. He could feel the pain, but knew that if it impacted him again, he'd have broken the bone completely. This was turning out to be quite entertaining. He figured they had swapped blows for at least five minutes now. When one blow struck him, he'd return the favor by smashing him with the blunt end of the hefty blade. He knew he hit him at least three times, maybe four, but the area of his blows slightly diffused them to a larger area while Saito's blows would deal more damage to a concentrated area.

"Now," Zabuza heard his target shout, though the sound of chains did not echo through his ears. "Wind Style: Dance of Blades!" He only needed to be hit once before finding out that he needed to keep moving. The first blade of wind sliced into his hip before more began to follow. Deciding to retaliate with his own Ninjutsu, Zabuza placed the blade on his back and weaved through hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!" Zabuza felt his chakra bringing life to the water below, bringing forth a giant dragon made of water to charge through the treeline in hopes of striking the brat. As his blood began to clot in his side, he could feel a bloodlust overcoming him as he grinned devilishly. This fight was entertaining. Very entertaining.

The sound of impact into a tree only made Zabuza grin wider before an unfamiliar feeling caught his shoulder. It was a rather sharp piercing pain. Bringing his hand to his wounded shoulder, he could feel the shaft of an arrow lodged in his shoulder, rendering it practically unusable. "You're good, Saito. This is a very entertaining battle."

A whisper followed behind him as well as the chill of a metal blade against his throat. "I agree, Zabuza. Truthfully, your Bingo Book entry inspired me to learn what I could about you and your jutsus. I was only six when I found someone's discarded Bingo Book. You were the only unmarked page. I read about your Hidden Mist Jutsu and how you cause the enemy to reveal their location with the sound of their voice before coming to swoop down and bring death upon them. I, however, was never one to look my enemy in the eye as they died. I do things from a distance, only coming in close when I have significantly weakened them enough to make the kill. I made my first kills when I was ten, after a group of drunken villagers and shinobi decided to attack me. I lost my eye that day, but I slew nearly fifty men and women with barely any regret. If they were willing to take my life, then they should have been prepared to die and have known that I fight back until I can barely stand up anymore."

It was only a moment before the impact of a leg on his chest sent him crashing into a nearby tree trunk. Four senbon pierced enough pressure points to render him unable to move. The mist began to fade and everyone could see Saito as he held a single fan in an attacking stance. "Sadly, I must end your life before you end the life of my client. Maybe if I was lucky enough, we could have been student and pupil."

Zabuza looked on without any emotions as he watched this boy...no, man prepare to end his life. As the final blow was ready to be dealt, three senbon pierced his neck, letting him fall limply to the ground. Saito's eyes widened and he rushed to deal the ending blow, but a body from the trees dropped down, collected Zabuza and his blade, then disappeared in a Mist Shunshin.

Anger reached Saito's mind, but also relief. Though his kill was stolen from him, Zabuza still lived on to fight again. Maybe if he was lucky, neither of them would have to hold back like this time. Zabuza held back because he underestimated him, causing him to hold back as well due to some kind of obligation as a 'student' of his style.

Saito visibly dropped on his ass in exhaustion, both mental and physical, from the war they silently waged on one another. Hinata rushed forth with a medical cream ready in her hands to treat any wound he might have suffered. As she knelt down, she could see her love fighting his emotions to figure out how he should feel.

"Don't worry, Saito-kun," she said in a gentle whisper. "When you face him next time, maybe you can convince him and his friend to join us on our trip to Konoha." It didn't take long for Saito to return her kindness with his everlasting smiles.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan," he said in a hushed whisper, though this could be from wounds rather than exhaustion. Taking the moment to give him a thorough check-up, she removed his shirt and slung it over her shoulder, grunting slightly under the weight before tending to the wounds.

He had two visible bruises reaching from shoulder to hip, making an X-like bruise on his toned chest. She didn't have to touch him to realize he broke a couple of ribs, one of which likely pierced his lung. Rubbing the cream over his bruises, everyone watching could see them slowly, but surely, vanishing. As their eyes traced his chest, they could see a jagged scar on his right arm that essentially ran the entire circumference of his arm just below the shoulder. When Hinata accidentally touched the wound, a phantom pain coursed through his arm, causing him to flinch. Seeing and feeling him flinch under her care, Hinata delivered a chaste kiss to his cheek while wrapping her available arm around his stomach.

"I suggest we get back to my house so you can finish healing him," said Tazuna as he stood back up with caution. "The sooner we're out of danger, the sooner we can get this bridge built." Saito nodded weakly in agreement as he wrapped his arm around Hinata's shoulder to steady himself. With only a little help from his teammates, Hunter Squad Alpha, Tazuna, and Team Seven made their way to the bridge builder's house, unaware of the dangers that awaited them beyond the veil of mist.


	12. Interlude: Flashbacks of Memories Past

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it.**

**Author's Note: I've been busy with work for the past few months, being unable to update as often as I'd like. As of right now, I only have every Thursday off, it seems, so this update, while a bit early and off topic of the story, is to keep you all interested in a bit of flashback fun as I think up something for the REAL chapter 12. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I hope to keep you all as my fans as I continue to write. God bless you and have a wonderful night.**

Chapter Twelve: Interlude: Flashbacks of Memories Past

**Wave Country: Tazuna's House....**

It took them a while, but the two groups managed to make it to the client's house uninterrupted. Saito Mazaki had long since fallen asleep, occasionally grumbling or muttering something that made Hinata shiver. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba were taunting his unconscious form with insults about how weak he was to have tied the ninja that attacked him or calling him an idiot for attacking someone so much more powerful than himself. Both Kiba and Sasuke were claiming that they would have beaten him without getting exhausted...until Kurenai and Anko 'kindly' reminded them that the ninja young Saito faced could have easily killed all of them without breaking a sweat and that it required a great deal of strength to simply end the duel in a tie while battling chakra exhaustion at the same time. While they admitted to themselves that it was a foolish move, they guessed that the genin captain of their team simply wanted to know where he stood against an opponent who wouldn't hold back on him.

This was a reality check the young boy often begged for yet could never have until now.

Still, they all realized that this was an opportunity for growth for not just him, but their entire squad. Hinata often sat next to him, telling him about how hard they trained. Being in a catatonic-like state made him a wonderful listener for her troubles involving Kiba and the occasional, yet rare offer from Sasuke to help him rebuild his clan. When she told him this, she could have sworn she heard him growling in fury. He always growled at Kiba both before and after his constant attempts to make Hinata his mate as warnings, only going as far as bruising his ego and breaking a bone or two if he got too frisky.

That reminded her of the day they first met....when Kumo tried to capture her....

_Flashback...._

_He was only four years old, yet he knew more about pain and suffering than most shinobi who were taken prisoner to be interrogated during the old wars. He was huddled in the middle of a hollowed out tree, only his tattered jumpsuit giving him any sense of warmth and even that was not enough to protect him from the frigid temperatures. He silently prayed to any god or goddess that would listen for any kind of help, no matter how small that help was. Sneaking into the civilian section of the library with the occasional trip to the Genin Shinobi section, he knew as much about the various gods and goddesses that a person could know. He closed his eyes, waiting for the cold grip of Death to claim him as it had failed to do so many times before. Seconds later, a small pair of young foxes trotted over to the hole in the tree in search for a new den when they came upon a human child._

_At first, they were fearful, believing him to be like the others who did harm to them on this very day. When he did not move, the female slowly and carefully walked over and sniffed his hair before rubbing her cheek against his, resulting in an unconscious and subconscious purr. The female seemed to smile softly before she wrapped herself around the young boy's body. The male, being fairly protective of his mate, was also curious and decided to approach him. With a single whiff of the air around the child, he could sense his queen, the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune, on his body, though it was far stronger on him than the other villagers around Konoha. Perhaps this boy had some kind of connection to their queen. Still, he wrapped his furry body around his to deliver some warmth to his frozen form._

_It had been nearly twenty minutes before young Naruto decided to wake up with prayers that his apartment had already been ransacked by the villagers or that they had simply given up on harming him. Feeling a nice warmth on his chest and stomach, he spotted two dark red foxes with white spots throughout their coats._

_With a quick jolt, he had accidentally awakened the foxes. The female, he guessed, looked over him curiously before adopting something similar to a kind smile. "Di...did Inari-sama send you...to care for me," he asked her with a mild sense of hesitation. The fear in his voice startled the young vixen momentarily before she walked up to his face slowly and rubbed her cheek against his whisker-like birthmarks. He purred, something he'd never done before, then looked down at the young vixen with tears in his eyes. "I prayed one of the gods or goddesses would hear my cries. Bless you both and praise Inari-sama."_

_As Naruto became more comfortable being with the foxes, he heard a stiffeled scream, female, came close to his hiding spot before a rather tall figure landed and kicked the bag he carried as hard as he could. The sound of muffled bones breaking echoed in his ears and he grew somewhat angry. "This is what I get for trying to make an easy score to get the Byakugan. Now, because of you, the whole damn clan is after my ass!" He kicked the bag again before taking a moment to gather his scattered marbles._

"_What the hell do you think you're doing," shouted the boy as he crawled out from the hollow tree, his two kitsune guardians behind him, growling at the man in yellow and black ninja clothing. Atop his hitei-ate was a metal plate marked with a gathering of clouds. 'That's one of those Ku-mo-nins from the parade earlier,' the boy thought to himself as he got into a stance he didn't even know he knew. Crouched on the ground, his two hands were spaced out in front of him, his nails becoming like claws. His feet were prepared to spring board off of the tree toward either the girl in the bag or the ninja to do...something to keep him occupied._

_If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was to distract the people around him._

_The Kumo-nin laughed. This brat was going to try and attack a ninja of his caliber!? That was just downright funny to him. "Do you even know what you're doing, kid?" Naruto's eye twitched at the word kid. He always hated being called a kid or a brat even though he was one, he still hated the term. "I'm a jonin-level ninja from the Hidden Cloud. There's no way you could stand a chance against me." With almost careless accuracy, he launched a kunai into his shoulder, causing his stance to falter, though he showed no hint of being in pain._

"_I've felt worse bee stings than that, bastard," the young boy growled before ripping the kunai out with his teeth, forgoing any opportunity to ignore his opponent or the target he intended to try and save. "I've been training since last year to be a ninja. Taijutsu's my specialty...for now. Don't underestimate me." For a moment, his blue eyes flashed blood red causing the ninja to flinch. He'd seen something similar when their jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, who carried the Nibi, got angry. Even for one her age, everyone knew not to anger her lest they face Nibi's wrath._

_'No way,' the man thought to himself. 'Konoha's too goody goody to create a demon container. That had to be a quick Transformation.' In his mind, the battle was already won. Choosing to ignore the brat, he walked over to grab the sack carrying the Hyuuga heiress...._

…_.that was his first mistake._

_He found that out when he felt like five people managed to simultaneously tackle him, striking out at his side and breaking a rib or two. In an instant, he felt a pair of blows to his face from tiny fists...tiny fists that carried quite a bit of force as he swore he felt his nose break at least once, if not twice. Once he hit the ground, the weight was off of him and it returned to where it came from...or rather a few feet from where the sack was._

"_Don't worry, hime-chan," the boy whispered to the sack, praying that whoever was inside could hear him. "It shouldn't be long before the ANBU get here. All I have to do is hold him off until Itachi-sensei, Neko-chan, Tenzo-jiji, and Saru-jiji get here." In his own mind, he was thanking himself and his ANBU sensei for teaching him taijutsu in case he ever got attacked by the villagers again. At least that way he could defend himself properly. Of course, once Itachi-sensei got there, he'd probably get a good ass chewing later for recklessly charging into a fight against a superior opponent. Still, it was only luck...or rather coincidence that the nin managed to land near his hiding hole. It was either stay hidden and let the ninja get away or keep him busy long enough for the real ninjas to arrive and stop him._

_The Cloud ninja's eyes grew furious as he drew two kunai and launched them at the boy, causing him to dodge with unnatural grace. The ninja smiled and charged over to deliver a bone-crushing kick to the boy's ribs, sending him crashing to the tree he came out of with a dull thump. With strength of will alone, the feral child stood back up and got into the stance again. "That actually stung more than that extra large butter knife, but still nothing compared to what I deal with on a daily basis." It was his turn to retaliate. Grabbing the three kunai, he placed one in his mouth while the other two were gripped tightly in his tiny fists. "Time to try out something new! Let's GET WILD!" A faint red chakra radiated from his body before wrapping it around his body. In an instant, he disappeared before reappearing behind the Kumo-nin and slashing him in a special technique he called Staccato. Numerous scratched marred his back in random patterns before he launched his kunai into his spine from close range, forcing him to fall to the ground in a heap. He tried to stand up, but found his limbs unresponsive. The boy he fought, the one cloaked in red simply stood in front of the sack before cutting the rope and letting the cloth fall to reveal a young girl with almost pale skin, bluish-black hair, and clothes he noticed were too large for her._

"_Hurry up," called a male voice from deep within the forest. "I can smell blood! Someone is injured!"_

_Turning his head to the man, he glared at him, radiating an unnatural amount of killing intent that terrified the paralyzed ninja. "If you survive the interrogation and trial, I'll make sure to kill you if you ever come near my village again." For added effect, he threw one of the blood-soaked kunai down at his 'precious jewels' while the other one barely nicked his neck before dashing off with his two fox companions just before a group of people with similar looks to the young girl, three ANBU wearing a Weasel, Cat, and some strange looking mask that didn't seem to resemble any animal. Following shortly after them was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage and God of Shinobi._

_The scene they came upon was somewhat terrifying. Sitting in a terrified lump was the Kumo ambassador, blood covering his back and front, eyes widened in sheer terror and a wet spot on his crotch. Across from him, at the far side of the clearing was a young unconscious Hinata Hyuuga, a bit of blood trickling down the corner of her mouth, though her eyes were beginning to flicker to life. 'Who was that boy that saved me,' she asked herself as the ANBU took the ninja to interrogation. Before they even started moving toward him, the ninja simply kept muttering the word "Demon" over and over again._

_That was all that was said and done that day. The following days ended up being the saddest in the Hyuuga household when Neji's father Hizashi Hyuuga, the brother of the Clan Head, had been killed and sent to Kumo to satisfy their demand of a Hyuuga and to prevent another war from breaking out so soon._

_End Flashback._

Though she didn't know it at first, the Hyuuga heiress had developed her first crush on Naruto, always memorizing and dreaming of his voice until she finally found out who he was and began to pursue him. It took him all of four more years before they both confronted one another in what would become their hideout: the abandoned warehouse. It was also that day that he had asked her to meet his other friend and first love, Tenten, their partner and other lover, along with his 'brother' Rock 'Maito' Lee.

_Flashback_

_It was almost October the tenth, the eighth birthday of Naruto Uzumaki and the day that Hinata will never forget for the rest of her life. She hadn't been entered into the ninja academy yet, but she always asked her mother before she died to take her there, if only so that she could play in the park nearby. As she sat atop the tire swing, she watched as classes had gotten out and children ran over to their parents to celebrate their graduation into the life of a ninja. Near the end came three young people walking to the park in no big hurry. For a moment, the young bluenette thought that their parents would rush over to pick them up, but was pleasantly surprised when nobody came for them. The female with long brown hair and the boy with a jet black bowl cut and large owl-like eyes wore headbands while their friend, the blond-haired boy whose voice she recognized as the one who saved her, wore simply a pair of welder's goggles, a gift she gave him when she found out who he was and when his birthday was._

_The young boy looked rather depressed, but his friends were trying to get him back to his jolly self with no luck. "Damn it," the young boy swore as he clenched his fists in anger. "Why the hell is it that nothing I do seems to go right when it comes to graduation!?" Hinata covered her mouth in shock. She never heard anyone swear as much as he did...and he was just a little older than her._

"_Calm down, Brother Saito," said the boy with black hair. "We know that you're good enough to be a genin. It's their fault if they cannot see just how bright your flames of youth burn!" Naruto shook his head with a small smile on his lips. Hinata stood completely still. She could feel her heart racing and her face was burning up from the blush she was giving off._

_'How can someone like him make me react this way,' she thought to herself as she felt her legs become useless. She was paralyzed with fear. She wanted to confess these feelings of hers to him, but she thought he would simply laugh at her and call her a fool...a weakling....someone not even suited to love a dirty sock._

_...She was only eight. She didn't know anything about love or of boys, for that matter. Dirty socks were all she felt like she could compare them both to._

_Still, when he got close enough to notice her, his smile seemed to brighten in recognition. "Hey, Hinata-hime!" The energetic boy ran over and wrapped her in a hug, causing her to blush harder than ever before. The brunette smirked as young Naruto ran up and hugged the blushing girl. With an idea in her head, Tenten put it into action._

_Frowning slightly, Tenten began to create the second most feared female jutsu ever...._

…_.the crocodile tear jutsu._

"_Na...Naruto-kun do...do...doesn't love me...any...anymo...more," sniffling, Tenten practically went nuts when she saw Naruto try to look away before taking one final look from the corner of his eye before giving up the futile battle._

"_Come on, Tenten-hime," he said, drawing the girl toward the duo and wrapping her in a soul-warming embrace. "Don't cry. See. I love you both!" Tenten was laughing on the inside...until the blushing girl managed to gather what confidence she had kept hold of in the deepest, most private of places in her heart to speak to him...and to recognize their current surroundings. It was what looked to be a group of old warehouses from the days of the Shodaime Hokage's reign._

_All of them were standing in front of a large warehouse that looked slightly more hospitable than the others, its doors marked with a large number '13'. "Do...do you really mean that, Naru...Naruto-kun," the haphazard girl said in a brief show of courage while keeping her stuttering down. Naruto turned to her and smiled. A smile so pure and carefree that even the gods above seemed to grow envious of it._

"_Of course, Hinata-hime. You're all precious to me and I'll get stronger in order to protect that which is most precious to me." It didn't take long for young Hinata Hyuuga to wrap him in a hug saying a few words he'd only heard a few times._

"_I love you too, Naruto-kun!"_

_That was all she said before falling back...into a dead faint to which Naruto barely managed to catch. Frantic to discover what was wrong with her, he turned to his second female friend....who was laying down on the ground laughing her ass off._

"_Oh my God," she managed to wheeze out between laughter. "I thought she would do something, but that was just soo damn funny!" Naruto's eye twitched in irritation._

"_Will you be serious here, Tenten-hime," the young blond shouted in mock anger. "For all we know, she could be dead or something!"_

"_Maybe dead from embarrassment, but I can tell you she's still very much alive." Getting up and back to her feet, a few giggles escaped her lips. "She just passed out. All she needs right now is to lie down for a bit and a bit of space to herself."_

_Taking the passed out 'Princess' into the warehouse, Naruto placed her in his futon before going back and training even harder than before._

_End Flashback_

Yes. Every time the young Hyuuga girl remembered that memory, she would laugh to herself. She and Tenten worked on her stuttering around Naruto/Saito for months before she could eventually hold his hand without fainting. A few weeks later, she could hug him without fainting, though she blushed fiercely due to the close proximity and the feel of his toned muscular structure. She eventually learned that, while Tenten was his first love, she wouldn't be loved any less than her. At first, she didn't think anyone could have more than one wife...until she discovered the library of law books involving various things including, but not limited to marriage, clan status, clan techniques, clan rights, and other laws, though most of it involved clans.

Back then, she didn't know why he was so interested in clans until he told her about containing his adopted mother, Kyuubi, and the demon koumori he descended from, Kosuke. For years she used to envy him...being invisible to everyone around him, but now that she knew the truth, she was somewhat glad she didn't end up like him...hated for something he didn't have control over. Still, she was with him and nothing else mattered in the world...well, except for their future together, but that does kinda fall into the same category.

This was their life...their story and nothing was going to ruin their happy ending.


	13. Hunter vs Hunters: Battle on the Bridge

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it. I also do not own Inuyasha. I had no idea I used some techniques from the show till after I read a review about it and looked it over.  
**

Chapter Thirteen: Hunter Vs. Hunters: The Battle on the Bridge

Back then, she didn't know why he was so interested in clans until he told her about containing his adopted mother, Kyuubi, and the demon koumori he descended from, Kosuke. For years she used to envy him...being invisible to everyone around him, but now that she knew the truth, she was somewhat glad she didn't end up like him...hated for something he didn't have control over. Still, she was with him and nothing else mattered in the world...well, except for their future together, but that does kinda fall into the same category.

This was their life...their story and nothing was going to ruin their happy ending.

For the few hours that Saito had been unconscious, his sensei's and teammates took their time to watch over him before he woke up to stretch his straining body. His arms felt like pure rubber and his back was beginning to cry out in pain too before he released the strain by bending backwards just far enough to pop a few the bones, earning a sickening twitch from Kurenai and Shino. Anko simply grinned her sadistic grin and Hinata simply smiled, knowing her beloved was awake from his battle once more.

Saito closed his eyes for minutes, memories of the battle flooding his mind before a scowl met his lips. "Damn it to hell," the young hunter whispered in anger. His voice was still hoarse from exhaustion. "That bastard got away." Even though he said this in anger, he smiled gently. The Silent Killing's first, and seemingly only, true master had fought with him, albeit holding back quite a bit on both ends was not what he had expected. He held his own and was about to end the master's life had that fake hunter ninja not interrupted and saved him. Now, both refused to underestimate the other and would, if they ever met again, which he expected, would go all out in a battle to prove whose Silent Killing skills were best.

"You held your own pretty good, Naruto-kun," said Hinata with a smile. "He only won because of his ally."

"No," the young hunter said solemnly. "He held back and so did I. If both of us went at the other with everything we had, I have no doubt that he would have beaten me. He has more experience in fighting than I do, despite the fact that I was forced to take lives long before he was when he was my age. He's fought the elite from probably every village and even went toe-to-toe with the Third Mizukage, a jinchuriki much like myself who possessed the Three-Tailed Turtle, Sanbi. Even though he lost to the Mizukage then, he still managed to live and outrun or kill any MIST Hunter Ninja sent after him."

Anko walked over and ruffled his jet black and red hair softly. "At least you know your limits and when you're beat, kid. I can't say the same for the Uchiha brat, but that's Hatake's problem...not ours."

Saito smirked softly. "Yeah. Still, it would have felt...weird killing the person who inspired my fighting style from the get go. If anyone could teach me more about the techniques he implores with his Silent Killing method, I'd love to meet them face-to-face."

Kurenai understood where he was coming from. She too had been inspired to use Genjutsu from someone other than her sensei and was driven to learn as much as they could from them. Sadly, he passed away without knowing just who his ninja way had inspired to become the infamous Genjutsu Mistress of Konohagakure, Kurenai Yuuhi. "You want to try and bring them both back to Konoha, don't you Saito-kun?"

Saito grinned a fox-like grin before scratching the back of his head. "That obvious, huh?" Everyone else nodded with a smile adorning their faces. "Maybe he could also teach Shino how to use a huge fucking sword like he does. It does have a good reach that would repel others from coming near you and it could act like a shield from all kinds of weapons and jutsus as well as another way for your kikai to silently sneak into an opponent to drain them of their chakra."

Shino nodded. "But it would go against my primary function on the team as the main infiltrator."

"If you're in a fight against some people who caught you, don't you think you need something other than stealth and your bloodline to help? Your taijutsu, while effective, will not be enough to take down multiple enemies should the rest of us be occupied in battles of our own. Your only ninjutsu come from your clan's bloodline. While that isn't bad, relying solely on your bloodline makes you weaker. Thus why I suggest you learn kenjutsu so you don't end up overspecializing. I mean...look at the majority of the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans. They rely so much on their bloodlines that they think they're invincible. The Uchiha died in the massacre save Sasuke-teme, his mother Mikoto, and Itachi because of their over-reliance and the Hyuuga...well, Hinata's cousin Neji got his ass kicked by me plenty of times in the academy to know he's not invincible even with his bloodline. Still, I guess it will take public humiliation before the rest of the clan learns the same lesson that Tenten-hime and I taught Hinata-hime, though she did learn faster than Neji."

Hinata blushed furiously. While she admitted that she tended to rely on her bloodline to protect her, as her family had taught her when they were still her family, she learned after the first two minutes of their sparring match that that was not the case. Saito had systematically broken down the Jyuuken she used against him while striking her in...the 'forbidden zone', the five degree blind spot that ran along every Hyuuga's spine while the Byakugan was active. After that, she learned a few ninjutsu, how to use tonfa and incorporate weapons into her style of Jyuuken, and a small handful of genjutsu so that she would be able to counter an enemy who fought by keeping their distance from her provided they knew about the Jyuuken and the Byakugan's capabilities or used weapons with a long reach to attack her so as to avoid the crippling strikes.

Anko grinned. "And what about you? You use those bloodlines of yours so often, it seems like you are all talk and no bite."

Saito's grin put the jonin duo off guard. "If you remember, I had to live most of my life without my bloodline. Though I do use them a lot, most of the time it is to make sure I understand all of what they can do. If I had some sort of ability that they give me, but don't know how to use when it could have saved my ass, then I could be killed. Besides, my bloodlines aren't known to anyone outside of my team, the people I killed, and Sarutobi-jiji. Not even the council knows nor is there a record of my bloodline anywhere. The Old Man doesn't even know I can summon. If he learned, there is no doubt that he's ask where I got the contracts and I don't think he'd really like the fact that I obtained them from my...inner-most family."

Everyone understood that it was his own secret code for Kosuke and Kyuubi, the demon his original blood came from and the demon who improved and changed his mother's bloodline to be more unique respectively. He obviously didn't want anyone to hear about them...especially Team Seven. Kami knows that they'd go blabbing it to the council in order for them to try and order Saito Mazaki to train him and forfeit his contracts to the young brooding upstart.

...the key word was try.

Truth was, even if they ordered him to train the brooding brat, he could simply refuse and nothing could be done to him. He was a shinobi and therefore was under the jurisdiction of the Third Hokage, thus untouchable by the civilian council. Hell, even the Ninja council knew better than to demand a ninja, a genin no less, no matter how strong he was, to give away the techniques he worked hard to learn and master. Most civilians on the council believed them to have some sort of authority over shinobi matters and always tried to bend the rules to their benefit, especially when it involved the Kyuubi container. They had warped so many rules that other shinobi who had done nothing wrong were being punished as well. It continued on until Saito, who had practically had an embargo placed on him to the point that he would pay upwards to five times the price for a single kunai, had enough and obtained, through an unknown method, a copy of the village laws and ordered that a meeting took place involving the entire council.

After quite a bit of yelling obscenities which made even a few Shinobi blush, the young Hunter read out loud the various rules and regulations that the civilian side of the council was breaching, which, if enforced, would have resulted in either death or a seriously heavy fine that even caused the richer clans to become poor with a rather large debt left to pay. After learning this, the civilians immediately removed the restrictions on him and the other ninja, fearing that their power, no matter how little there was to their names, would become lost should they be dismissed from the council. Sarutobi was rather impressed with the former blond child's knowledge of the laws, which allowed him to gain back some of the power that had been lost to him between the time Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, died and he had been reinstated.

After that, Tsume Inuzuka approached him with her ever-faithful companion, Kuromaru, at her side. She proposed that he get to meet her only daughter, Hana. She felt that they would get along rather well because of how much they both cared for both wild and domesticated animals and their determination to protect them. He promised her that he'd come over to meet her after their mission to Wave Country and he fully intended to keep that promise.

He told Hinata, Anko, Tenten, and Kurenai about this and they all gave him permission, though Anko did say something about having a five-woman harem and something involving Shadow Clones and whipped cream. He didn't understand it at the time and dismissed it after placing it in the mental file labled 'Do Not Open Upon Pain Of Brain Melting'. He knew he loved Hinata and Tenten with all his heart. He also knew he cared about Anko a great deal and Kurenai too, though he didn't understand why he felt so close to his jonin instructors.

Shaking his head softly, Saito got back up to his feet, though wobbled a bit at first, causing Hinata to try and keep him steady before he could gain back his sense of balance...

...sadly, it was not meant to be.

When Hinata went to place his arm around her shoulder, Saito stumbled backwards causing her to spear him, sending him flipping over the bed and onto a rather beautiful red-eyed jonin, Kurenai. This caused her to try and catch him...and failing miserably. Before she could move to correct his trajectory, his body twisted from the flip sending him crashing into the Genjutsu Mistress upside down, causing her to fall on her back with his crotch in her face and his face right up against her tender area. She froze up for a moment and everything seemed to be going in slow motion. In order to properly heal him, they had to replace his weighted clothing with a medical gown that Hinata was oddly carrying in spades. So when I say she had his crotch in her face....

...she literally had it in her face.

_'Oh my Kami,' _she thought to herself, unsure of how she was supposed to feel at this moment. '_He's huge! He's only twelve and he's probably bigger than most adults twice his age.' _Then, even unconscious, he exhaled, causing her body to shiver...with excitement. _'NO WAY! He's ten years my junior and I'm his sensei for crying out loud! I cannot feel this way with a genin...no matter how cute he is...or how much of a gentleman he is compared to most of the men in Konoha who undress me with their lustful eyes while he looks at me the same as he looks at Hinata and Anko.'_

Steeling her resolve momentarily, she used her remaining strength to shove his unconscious body off of her and placing her back against the wall. Though she could not see it at the time, Hinata had a smile like nothing she had ever seen before. The young girl could pick up on her distressed emotions and the blush on her cheeks was obviously one she had seen before now. The Hyuuga kunoichi could tell that Kurenai's heart was calling her...and it was calling her toward Naruto.

Still, this did not seem to upset her in the least. If anything, it made her...happier? That did not matter right now. For now, they had to wake up Saito so they could continue to train for their next encounter with Zabuza and his apprentice. Taking her time to stand up and gather her bearings, Kurenai gently picked the hanyou up and slapped his cheeks softly in an attempt to rouse him from his sudden case of being knocked out. After a few minutes, it worked and he showed signs of life though his nose picked up Kurenai's scent quite heavily on his nose as well as the more obvious scent of a woman's arousal. Did he miss something he would have killed to do again due to his tiny stroke with bad luck?

….Damn you, karma.

Either way, he pretended not to notice the scent he became quite familiar with and decided to go back to training with his team after getting dressed and making the gravity seals and weight seals increase by another level. While he was a bit stronger than them, he would always help them reach the next level of strength until they could both take him on. The trio enjoyed their spars and took great pride when they defeated the only one on their team who has actually had, despite the circumstances, to kill simply to survive. While Hinata and Shino weren't looking forward to it, they knew that they would have to end the life of an enemy eventually and it would not be a happy moment.

"This life we live in is neither pure light or pure corruption. We live in a world where everything is colored gray. There is no true good nor is there true evil. Simply the dreams one has and how they go about achieving them."

That was the single most important thing Saito had ever told them as a team. Anko and Kurenai knew this already, but they couldn't find it in them to tell them how brutal and colorless the world really is. Saito, however, feeling that they were ready for the truth of their occupation, had no such reservations. In the end, the four thanked the Gods that he was still fairly blunt when it came to such things. They knew that he wouldn't sugarcoat anything that he felt needed to be said.

As the five of them left the room, Team Seven saw that Saito had nearly completely recovered and cursed their luck. They had hoped he would have remained mildly injured and unable to continue on with the mission, but his ungodly recovery speed was something they underestimated or simply didn't know about.

Kakashi was the first to speak, getting his patented eye smile technique down to try and fool the young hunter. "It's good to see you're finally up and about, Mazaki-san. I thought you'd be out of it for a week or so."

Saito simply smiled back. "True, but I hated being in hospitals when I was younger so I just decided to heal faster to avoid them." While this was a half truth, the Genin of Team Seven didn't need to know the whole truth.

Sakura spoke out...rather yelled out. "You can't just decide to heal faster and I doubt you know any Medical Ninjutsu to heal yourself! It's impossible!"

Saito shook his head in disappointment before raising his hand and sending chakra through it, making it turn green, much to the surprise of both teams. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura. When you have my kind of life, you learn to pick up on things a lot quicker simply to survive. Regardless, I only learned Medical Ninjutsu to the degree that I have so that, if my teammates ever needed an injury mended on the fly, I'd be able to give them the necessary treatment. Personally, I find that I will hardly ever need to use them on myself, though it all depends on the situation I'm caught up in."

Anko was the first to respond to the shock. "Why didn't you tell us you knew Medical Ninjutsu?"

Saito shrugged it off. "I never thought it was that important. Besides, I've never really had to use it while anybody except for Hinata and Tenten. Our spars tend to get a little...bloody when we train with one another." Hinata nodded in agreement. "Besides, I was never really cut out to be a medic. I like the thrill of the hunt more than sitting at a table, filling out paperwork on various patients who would refuse to be healed by my hands and saving the lives of ungrateful bastards like Kakashi."

Kakashi decided to try the nice approach for once. "I'm sure I would have thanked you."

"...yeah. With a Chidori or a Raikiri to the heart." Kakashi flinched. The joy of slicing off the 'demon's' arm having now turned into a rather heavy pain after having so many years to contemplate about his actions. A heavy sigh came from Saito as he casually popped the joints in his neck and arms, ending with his knuckles. "It doesn't matter anymore. I have family and friends now and nothing will take that away. It's time for our team to train so I guess we'll see you in a few hours." Before exiting the door, Saito silently created a dozen Shadow Clones and gave them their orders through their mental connection before turning to their host and hostess with a more natural smile. "Thank you for allowing our teams to stay here while you build your bridge, Tazuna-san, Tsunami-chan. I promise nothing will ever happen to either of you so long as I still breathe." With those final parting words, Saito shut the door and disappeared with the rest of his team.

Their training was rather typical. They warmed up with Water Walking, allowing the chakra in their coils to warm up from the lack of use in the past few hours. Saito had cleared the lake after nearly eight laps before returning to land for their more physical training. They punched the trees 200 times with each arm and kicked it 200 times with each leg. They did 150 push-ups, 100 pull-ups, 15 laps around the mile and a half diameter of the lake. They finished this with a new chakra control exercise called the Kunai Balancing method. This took unbelievable amounts of chakra control and placed at a single point between the tip of the sharp blade and the palms of their hands and feet. Too much chakra and the kunai would fly away. Too little and they would be skewered only to be healed by Saito later on.

Their training went on for the entire week while Kakashi and Team Seven were busy learning the Tree Walking method and guarding Tazuna while he was on the bridge. Of course, it never hurt to have a few dozen Shadow Clones watching over both Tazuna and his family. If Gato was desperate enough to hire Zabuza Momochi, a Hidden Mist missing ninja, to kill an old man like Tazuna, then it wouldn't be too farfetched to believe he'd send some goons to kidnap his family to make sure he surrendered and died only after watching his country's last hopes, the bridge he was building, get destroyed.

A few days ago, Tazuna's grandson, Inari, had said something that royally pissed Saito off, causing him to storm out of the house after practically yelling how easy the boy had it compared to others and eventually met...a new friend.

_**Flashback**_

_Tazuna, Inari, Tsunami, Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Anko, Kurenai, Hinata, Shino, and Saito were all sitting at the table eating what tasted like the best bowl of rice they'd ever eaten. (Yes. I did write their names out instead of saying everyone was at the table because I felt like it. Not by preference or anything.) Inari was acting like a grouch, much like Sasuke was when Itachi had systematically killed his entire family save the young bastard and their mother single-handed. Saito was happily talking to Hinata and the rest of his team, laughing and enjoying the time they spent together when Inari's patience seemed to have run out._

_Slamming his hands against the table, "What the hell are you all so happy about," he shouted in anger, nearly breaking his chopsticks in his hands. "You're all going to die! Everyone who fought Gato died and the same thing goes for you!" Saito rolled his eyes before glancing at the kid._

"_Trust me, kid," the hunter spoke with a hint of boredom in his voice. "You don't have a clue about what you just said." The young boy just growled before glaring at Saito._

"_And you do," he asked. "What does someone like you know about pain? I bet after this mission's over, you'll go back home to your parents and have fun with your friends!" Saito placed the chopsticks in the fresh bowl of rice before taking a breath._

"_You're pathetic, kid," the hunter said with no emotion tied into his voice. "Just so you know, I have no family to go home to. My mother abandoned me in Konoha while taking my twin sister away to another country. My only friends are Hinata-hime, Tenten-hime, Anko-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, and Shino-san. You don't see me bawling my eyes out at how unfair my life is, but you...you whine like a baby who doesn't get its way."_

_Saito placed his hands mockingly at his eyes. "Oh! My father-figure died at the hands of a ruthless tyrant! All hope is lost! Nobody can beat Gato! Wah! Wah! Wah!" The moment the Mazaki had removed his hands from his eyes, a glare shot across at the boy, causing him to recoil. "Nobody else has had to face hardships! I still have my mother and grandfather, but I want everyone to pity me because I lost my father-figure. Big. Fucking. Deal. Some people don't even have the luxury of having parents to scold them, to coddle them, or to love them. Do you know what they call those kinds of people? Orphans! And I've seen my share of life in an orphanage, so don't you dare start thinking it was easy."_

"_Saito-baka," Sakura growled at him. "You're scaring him."_

"_Good," he said with a slight smirk. "Maybe scaring him will get him to stop acting like a baby for one minute and think about someone other than himself. Hell!" Saito's smirk grew more cruel than most could have imagined. "Maybe he'd like a little glimpse into MY life! Maybe that will fix him!" He began to form hand seals at a breakneck pace until he ended on the seal the Yamanaka clan used in their Soul Swapping jutsus._

_Before Kakashi, Anko, Hinata, or Kurenai could stop him, Saito had placed his hands on the boy's forehead and called out... "Mazaki Forbidden Art: Rebirth of the Forgotten Memories."_

_It took only second before the boy fell to the ground in a lifeless lump, his mouth open, but no sound escaping. "Just remember, brat. You forced me to do that. When you wake up, I hope you've learned your lesson."_

_Calmly, Saito Mazaki marched out of the house, off to do some 'training and stress relief' while the little boy lay catatonic for almost half an hour before his eyes returned to a more normal appearance. He suppressed shivers as he huddled into a ball at the corner of the room. When Kakashi tried to approach him, the boy backed away in fear and anger._

_Kurenai walked over and knelt down to eye level. "How much did you see," she asked hurriedly._

_...his only answer...."Everything."_

_An ominous wind blew through the air, sending a dark chill through the spines of those who could feel its eerie call._

_**In Saito's Mindscape...**_

_After a rather...mild training session, Saito Mazaki laid on his back and looked up to the stars, something he loved to do when he had the time. "I know it was a bit harsh to use that Genjutsu on that brat, but he refused to shut up about us dying. It's like...like he's already given up on everything his grandfather is working towards. If the children can't find hope, then the adults will simply lose hope too. In the end, Gato wins until we take him down, but even after that, they'll think another dictator will take over and it will be back to square one again."_

"_**I know how much this hurts you, Saito-kun, but you must remember that even in the darkest of places rests a tiny glimmer of hope. If these people can simply grasp onto that hope and come together as a country, then Gato will lose whether or not we kill him. His only strength is fear. Without fear, he's simply another pathetic mortal like the rest you have killed," Kosuke said with a calm, semi-caring tone.**_

"_**It is always darkest before the dawn, Saito-kun," answered the Nine-Tailed Fox, wrapping the young man in her tails to comfort him. "You know that better than any mortal here. That boy got a reality check, something he needed, but his mother and grandfather refused to give him. In the end, you likely helped him overcome his fear of repression and saved his life in the process."**_

_Saito nodded, a smile appearing on his lips before he kissed his 'mother' on the cheek and hugged Kosuke. "Thanks. I needed this little chat with you both. I know we'll beat this bastard and return hope to this lifeless wasteland." His serious smile went from pleasant to mischievous in an instant. "Besides, I wanna 'play' with Hinata-hime and Tenten-hime when we get back!"_

_**Kyuubi's grin became a frown before returning to a grin similar to Saito's. "And what about Anko-chan and Kurenai-chan? Don't they get any special time with you?"**_

_Saito's smile dimmed into a small frown, though his depression was quite clear. "Until I become a jonin or ANBU, they're still my teachers and it's against the laws of Konohagakure because 'If a student and teacher are in a personal relationship, those people could compromise the team's teamwork, eventually leading to favoritism and the potential deaths of the teammates on a mission'. While truthfully, I'm likely involved with every female on my team, that leaves Shino as the last man standing and he'll need as much training as us if we want to be a powerful team. That's why I'm trying my hardest to become strong enough to join ANBU as a chunin. Then, I can tell them about how I feel without repercussions."_

_The two demons hugged their charge before something began to tug at his mindscapes avatar's body. "Looks like someone is trying to wake me up. I'll visit soon so we can start training in my Shadow Lotus Eye and the Darkness Element."_

_With those last words, Saito's body began to disappear from the dark scene._

_**In the World of the Living....**_

_Saito's eyes blinked after getting burned by the sun's brilliant rays. Damn bright stars waking him up before he felt like it. At least, those were his thoughts before he felt someone gently push on his shoulders._

"_...scuse me."_

_The figure pushed again, only fairly harder. "Excuse me."_

_Saito quickly grabbed the hand that was ready to shove him, earning a small squeak from his 'guest'. By the scent around them, his guesses were that this was a female and someone he'd met before, due to the oddly familiar scent she carried on her. His mind was still too foggy to come up with ideas as to who she was or where he'd met her._

"_I'm awake, damn it," the young half-demon yawned, stretching his arms until a relaxing series of pops was heard. Looking at her, the raven-haired boy could tell that she was beautiful, though not nearly as gorgeous as his female teammates or Tenten-hime. "Damn. I fell asleep training again."_

_The girl cocked her head to the side with a questioning glance. "Does...this happen to you...a lot?"_

"_Yeah. If I'm angry at someone or something, I go out to train until I end up passing out. It's nothing strange to my teammates though." He grinned ferociously. "They know how hard-headed and stubborn I can be at times."_

_The girl blinked a few times. 'Is this the one that defeated Zabuza-sama so quickly? He seems to be nothing more than an idiot. Training until you pass out is dangerous and could possibly end up getting you killed.'_

"_Sometimes, though people tend to stay away from me more often than not due to a special...circumstance that was placed upon me at birth." Her eyes widened. Was he..._

"_...reading your thoughts? No. I simply pick up on the emotional distresses your chakra sends out while reading your body language. It's a technique I learned to pick up when I was a kid. Most of the time, I'm simply guessing, but that seems to be working out fine for me now, I guess."_

_The girl looked down, but a small smile was easily seen. "So you know what it's like...to be judged according to what others think of you or because of something you have no control over." The boy's nod was enough. Now she understood how he stood toe-to-toe with Zabuza-sama. He was a lonely boy who found solace in training harder to prove them wrong about him...then he made friends and swore an oath to protect them with his dying breath._

"_Yeah. I do, but it isn't something I like talking to with a complete stranger, despite how similar our eyes are. Maybe when my mission is over, I can tell you about it and then you can tell me about your burden." The young woman smiled. Those brown eyes reminded him of his beloved Tenten while her attitude was similar to Hinata's. Her raven hair was the only thing that seemingly set the trio apart from being sisters. He was sure that, if the girls ever met this beauty, they would be the best of friends....maybe more._

_Apparently the two were having similar thoughts because the two of them blushed a strawberry red. "Maybe after we're done, we could...you know, go on a date?" The girl wanted to accept and smile like she wanted. She really did, but he was her enemy. There was no way that the two of them would be able to be as close as he wanted to be. It was either she and Zabuza end his life...or he'll be the one to end hers. Either way, she was terrified of the outcome._

"_Perhaps, but it all depends on how my father feels about it. I'll have to ask him tonight. He's never let me date anyone because we're always moving somewhere new, but maybe he'll change his mind this time around."_

_The young boy nodded. "My name's Saito. Saito Mazaki."_

"_Haku. Haku Yukari. It was a pleasure to meet you, Naruto-kun. I hope we can meet again."_

"_So do I, Haku-hime."_

_Without hesitation, the two parted ways, one to convince her 'father' to kill Gato, take their mission pay from him, and move to Konoha while the other went to dream peaceful dreams of the day Haku, Hinata, Tenten, Anko, and Kurenai could live together as a true family._

_The day ahead....would be one that both teams would regret._

_**End Flashback...**_

This was the day, Hunter Squad Alpha told themselves as they prepared to face Zabuza again. They gathered their ninja equipment and got geared up. In a few minutes, Zabuza and his little Hunter Nin friend would face off with Team Seven and a group of professional hunters, though Zabuza had probably gotten backup because he had been outnumbered. Everyone would need to be on their A game to beat this threat.

As usual, Saito left behind five Shadow Clones around the small home to protect Tsunami and Inari while they were away. Nobody ever attacked them, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba tried to explain, but he knew that there would be an attack, if Gato was anything like he believed. If he were in Gato's shoes, which scared him for a few seconds, he would have sent out a couple of goons to take Tsunami as a hostage, which, if successful, would lead Tazuna into surrendering. It was almost scary how easy it was to crawl into a scumbag like Gato's mind. He felt disgusted and disturbed, though now he had an idea as to Gato's true intentions with Zabuza and his apprentice. Regardless, he had to protect the old drunk until Gato and his forces showed up. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long.

As the two teams approached the bridge, they could see bodies of several of Tazuna's friends laying down and covered in their own blood. Tazuna ran forward, his guardians following quickly as a thick mist veiled over the corpses. "What happened here," he asked, his voice fully set in panic.

"A...demon," was all the man whispered before his life faded.

Laughter. Hideous, cruel laughter that echoed through the thick fog from the other end of the battlefield. Saito drew his bow and readied an arrow, aiming from where it sounded like the voice was coming from before releasing it. The sound of liquid striking the floor made the young hunter smirk, but the laughter simply got louder and more bloodthirsty.

"Your skills at my style haven't dulled, I see," Zabuza called out from the far end of the mist.

"I was a few centimeters away from killing you, and that was on purpose. The next arrow will go through that thick skull of yours, Zabuza-sempai. If you change your mind and help us guard the bridge builder, I'm sure that an arrangement at Konoha could be made to keep the real hunter ninjas off your fat ass." For a moment, everything was silent. The silence was either his best friend or his worst enemy at this point.

"I'd love to come with you to see if this arrangement could be made, but we'd be passing up quite a bit of money to simply kill the bridge builder." Saito's head fell. He prayed it wouldn't come down to this, but it seemed inevitable.

"I truly hoped that you could have taught me more of the Silent Killing technique, but it seems as though I'll be forced to kill you." For a brief moment, both Zabuza and Saito stayed rooted to their spots, regretting what was to come.

"You would have been my best pupil too, kid. Nobody's ever gotten as far into it WITH instruction than you did without." The sound of his Head-Cleaving Sword's blade falling onto the concrete was heard by all. "Then we shall make this battle the most memorable one either of us have fought. Even the gods will be jealous of our battle."

A small smile ran across the young hunter's lips as he put away his bow and replaced it in his hands with his Kusari-gama. "I'm sure they will be, Zabuza-sempai. Enough speeches! This is where it ends!" The sound of two blades being drawn against the cement was heard by everyone before metal clashed against metal in a battle for dominance.

Behind them both were their individual partners. Kurenai and Kakashi issued the first commands. "Hinata/Sasuke, take out the fake hunter ninja! Shino/Sakura, protect the bridge builder."

The four ninjas rushed off to their designated areas, Hinata and Sasuke were ready to fight their enemy to the death, if necessary. Hopefully, it would not come to that.

Kiba simply sat by as the three jonin found themselves occupied by three other jonin level missing ninjas from Iwa, Kumo, and Suna. Kiba, seeing an opening, in which he thought Saito-baka could use his help, made a mad dash at Zabuza, hoping to impress Hinata when he took both the dead last and a jonin missing ninja down.

"GATSUGA," he shouted as he spun around and charged the missing nin like a drill. Saito and Zabuza looked to see the incoming human projectile and managed to dodge just in time to avoid a heavy impact. Landing on all fours, he looked and sniffed around for Zabuza's scent...

...until he got the flat side of the Kubikiri no Hachou upside his head, sending him far away and into an unconscious state.

"Even for Kiba, that was completely dishonorable and pathetic," Saito said, refusing to tear his eyes away for even a moment. "Doesn't he see that this is a battle between student and teacher?!"

Zabuza kept his sharpened eyes on the young man in front of him. "Apparently not. Obviously he thought you needed help against me or else he wouldn't have interfered." Saito shook his head.

"No. He's simply trying to impress my beloved. Dumb bastard could have been killed the moment that blow hit him. He's lucky you used the flat of the blade. Now...shall we continue." Zabuza's grin was all he needed to be set off onto another confrontational attack, both ending up in a stalemate. Zabuza's blade and hands were captured in Saito's chain and Saito was able to remove the deadly weapon with a relative amount of difficulty, but nothing impossible. It also removed his ability to use ninjutsu effecively. Sadly, this gave Zabuza a slight advantage with the reach of his weapon. Giant swords have more reach than a miniature scythe in most cases. While it was easier to use one-handed seals for ninjutsu in his position, the only technique he could use was the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Substitution. Of course, he could also use the Transformation, but what good does that do in a battle for one's life?

Both sides were sweating and breathing hard. Every blow and block was enhanced by chakra and both weapons were effectively battered and beaten with the chakra. Saito used wind chakra in his attacks, but when blocking, was forced to use earth chakra. Saito smirked once again before wrapping the chain in his left hand and using his right to draw a single fan. While it may not be anything too terrifying in appearance, it more than made up for that when wind chakra was being funneled through it.

"Dance of Blades!" A single swipe and Zabuza was forced to dodge the obviously sharp wind blades, eventually relinquishing his weapon for now to escape the chain bonds. With a heavy tug, the weighted end returned to his hand with a hard thud against his skin before it was replaced with the brother fan. "DANCE OF THE DRAGON!" The wind became a funnel resembling Kiba's Gatsuga attack, but this one changed its course often enough to keep the seasoned ninja on his toes.

Flashing through hand seals with simply memory of their forms in his mind, he flashed through ten before calling out the name. "Water Arts: Water Dragon Bullet!" A giant dragonoid beast rose from the ocean and charged its target with incredible speeds.

Flashing through hand seals he learned from Kosuke, he ended on the Ox seal before calling out the name of his technique. "Shadow Arts: Reaper's Shadow Hand!" With those words said, a giant pool of darkness opened up in front of the young boy before a bone white skeletal arm reached out and charged the dragon head on. Its bony fingers easily pierced the dragon's liquid structure before targeting Zabuza and wrapping it in its cold embrace.

"You don't know how much it pains me to do this, Zabuza," the boy whispered across the field where his opponent sat trapped in the powerful grip of the Reaper's hand. Before he could launch the arrow through his opponent, a feminine scream echoed throughout the blood soaked battlefield. Fear ran through his eyes before he spun around in time to see Hinata fall to the ground, a smirking Uchiha behind her. His blood ran hot at the sight. His red, misty eye became even more red as his anger threatened to boil over. His violet eye also began to glow much brighter than before in his rage.

"It seems like you can be of use to me after all, Hyuuga," the Uchiha said, his Sharingan blazed to life with a single mark in each eye. "Maybe after this battle is over, I'll let Kiba have his way with you after I'm done."

That was all it took before Saito disappeared from sight only to reappear with his violet fist crashing into Sasuke's unguarded face. "YOU BASTARD!" If the blow hadn't been meant to knock him unconscious, it was obvious that the young man would be more than glad to kill him. "First you use a Substitution the complete opposite way it was meant to be used, then you threaten to rape her and allow that filthy mutt to do the same!? Have you lost your fucking mind!? I ought to kill you for even thinking about doing such a thing to a woman, even more so my beloved!" The violet chakra quickly died down until he took a knee beside Hinata's unmoving body before looking upwards with a sad smile. "Thank you for putting her into a false death. I'm...not sure what I would have done if I lost her. Even now, despite how strong she's gotten, I treat her like a fragile doll when she's become a beautiful and deadly killer. I knew this from the start, after we met, but she already holds part of my heart in those unstained hands of hers."

The mirrors melted and the fake hunter ninja dropped to the ground beside the two of them. "So she is the one you would give up everything for, is she not?" Saito nodded, paused, then shook his head.

"Yes...and no. There are others who hold onto a piece of my heart. One of whom is on a mission with her team and my two senseis. I fell for Anko-hime because her life and mine are...similar. I guess it was just natural that we find another like ourselves and bond. Kurenai-sensei...I think I've loved her ever since I first stared into those beautiful red eyes of hers. It's like looking into a ruby and I just can't turn away."

"I knew you were strong from the first day we met, Saito-kun. I just never realized how strong you were until now." Her hand reached up and dragged down the mask until only Haku's face showed. "I know now why Zabuza-sama and I were defeated. When you fought, there was this conviction that the both of us lacked in spades. You were fighting to return to those you loved while Zabuza-sama and I fought for money." A lone tear fell from her dazzling brown eyes. "I thought that if I fought for Zabuza-sama, my precious person, that I would become stronger, but when his ideals became mine, I was accidentally making myself weaker."

"Haku," the half-demon whispered in the blushing girl's ear as his hand gently touched her cheek. "You and Zabuza don't have to fight anymore. You don't have to keep running. I know the Hokage on a personal level. He trusts me more than he does most of his elite ninjas because we're so close. I can probably convince him to let you both join! No more running and you'd be able to find someone you can fight for there. Someone who holds your heart in their hands."

Looking down, she whispered something only Hinata, who was just coming out of her unconscious state, and Saito could hear. "I think I already did and simply never knew it until now."

By now, Anko, Kurenai, and Kakashi had dispatched their enemies, their blood-stained clothes an indication of how difficult the battle was. An evil, cruel laugher, much different than Zabuza's, echoed from the very edge of the bridge. In the front was Gato's fat ass. Behind him were several thousand thugs, each one armed with a perverse grin and a deadly weapon ranging from swords to spears. "I knew it! Zabuza was nothing more than a sad little baby demon! He even got beat by a bunch of kids!" The thugs laughed at Zabuza's state of capture. "Now all that's left is to kill him and his little pet, then kill Tazuna ourselves now that we've got something of his that I'm sure he'll want back."

With a motion of his hand, everything was still. Looking off to the side, he waved his hand more passionately before his eyes narrowed. "Bring that whore of a daughter of his here right now!"

Saito laughed as he walked closer to Zabuza's captured person. "Oops. I guess I forgot to tell someone that my guards took out your little rag-tag group of scum. Now that I think about it, they did seem rather disappointed with their kills. Not even worth the effort, I think their words were." If Gato was furious before, he was down right livid now. Who did this brat think he was playing with?

"Do you even know who I am, brat," called out the greedy bastard, only answered by a nod.

"Yeah. I do. And I've killed people twice as strong as you with half the weight problem, tubby. Now I suggest you leave Wave for good before I simply kill the lot of you with one shot!" With that, Saito drew his twin fans and readied his chakra. This caused Gato to laugh.

"What are you going to do to us," he asked, copying his stance rather poorly. "Dance us to death with those pretty little fans of yours?"

Silence. Everything was quiet before an unreal amount of killing intent struck everyone around, friend or foe. "Oh crap," said Zabuza, now getting a taste of just how pissed the raven-haired man was getting. "If there is one thing you NEVER do, it's insult a weapon of a ninja. Even the weakest looking weapon is deadly in the hands of someone who knows how to use it properly.

"THAT'S IT! DEMONIC WIND ARTS: DEADLY BREATH OF THE REAPER!" As soon as the fans were moved, a heavy black wind erupted from them, attacking all in their path eventually settling over Gato's group. The screams coming from the black haze was unreal! Sakura was already sick from the killing intent alone. Now...the screams simply made her run to the guardrail and empty her stomach of anything it might have contained before. Even Shino and Kakashi, the two remaining males who were completely conscious and able to move about, had a difficult time standing in still without doing what Sakura had just done.

Sasuke...well, being unconscious and placed under extreme amounts of killing intent...forced him to, quite literally, shit himself and then piss himself involuntarily. Had Kiba been as close as Sasuke, he would have likely suffered the same fate. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on who you are, he simply pissed himself.

As soon as the haze dispersed, the only thing even remotely intact was the parts of the bridge it covered, though even they suffered some minor cosmetic damage. Nothing too serious. Blood and rent limbs were splayed across the bridge. Even Gato was torn to shreds with only his lower half even remotely intact.

Calmly, Saito reached down and picked the dead man's pocket until he discovered a small booklet with various illegal transactions and his bank account numbers and 'encrypted' password in it. The next thing he found was his wallet, showing just how much money he had. After that was just a bunch of heart pills and other medications including a special 'growth' supplement that directed him to take before he went to bed with a random woman. Thankfully, it was still full which meant that he hadn't raped any of the women in Wave, though it seemed as though he was planning on it at some point in time.

Tossing the two booklets to Tazuna, who caught them immediately after the odd feeling of death had been removed from the area, read what was inside with wide eyes. Wave could finally return to the economic state they were in before, even more so now that they practically owned all of Gato's dirty money.

"That money came from the hard working men and women of Wave, Tazuna. Even after you pay us for the A-Ranked Mission this turned out to be, you'll still have plenty left over to start over again."

The simple thought of being able to hit the symbolical 'Rewind' button on his life gave him a bitter sweet smile. While he would be able to change so much about his life and how he was treated, none of the people he cared about would likely know about him in a different world. Maybe in a different world, he wouldn't know about the Nine-Tails and his damned family. He'd probably have been the dead last and thus got stuck with Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi. He loathed the thought of being stuck on a team where he was unappreciated and untrained and also the sheer thought of losing the ones he truly loved with all his heart.

Tazuna didn't know what to say. He was so speechless that he didn't notice every man, woman, and child of Wave standing at the end of the bridge, armed to the teeth to protect their village and loved ones until they saw the carnage young Saito rained down upon Gato and his forces. It only took them a moment, but everyone simply fell to their knees and bowed to the boy who saved them from slavery.

"Thank you for everything you and your teams have done for us. We don't know how to repay you for such a wonderful gift." Saito smiled and knelt down beside Tazuna.

"Do what everyone else does. Live your life to the fullest. Bring peace to your village and live happily. This is your story. I simply played my part in it." With that, Saito stood up, bringing Tazuna up with him. "Of course, nobody knows whether the part I played here is over yet. Maybe one day, we'll meet again under better circumstances, Master Bridge Builder Tazuna. Until our departure, please accept my teams assistance in the continuance of the legacy your bridge will undoubtedly hold over the other nations."

The skeletal hand holding Zabuza had long since disappeared and the bulky missing ninja walked over to the duo. "And let me help too. It seems like the least I could do after trying to kill you and your family after all this time." Tazuna nodded before shaking the elderly man's hand. "Hey, Saito? Is that offer for passage to Konoha still open? I got a feeling that teaching you and your team will start a legend that I'd be glad to be a part of."

Saito nodded before flashing through five hand seals. With a poof, a bat nearly twice as large as a normal bat appeared in the air. "Koga-kun, can you relay a message to Jiji for me? I need you to inform him that Hunter Squad Alpha and Team Seven will be accompanied by Zabuza Momochi and Haku Yukari in about a week."

The bat nodded before zooming out of sight faster than most messenger summons. Zabuza's eyes widened. "You have a summoning contract with bats?!"

"...and foxes," he admitted with a slightly embarrassed grin. "I don't use them too much because then, I'll eventually learn to rely on them, which, after seeing most clans with bloodlines do it, is a very bad thing. That's why I try and specialize in at least two of the basic three ninja styles and at least four kinds of weapons. While I am fairly good at my Taijutsu style, I don't like being someone who has to face off against their opponent. I prefer staying as silent as I can and striking from a distance. The original ninja way, in my opinion."

Zabuza nodded and placed his hand on the kid's shoulder. "I agree with you there, but I'm a little too set in my ways to change anything. However, you kids just graduated, right?" Saito nodded again. "Then you aren't too set in your ways to learn some things from the master of stealth. Come on, Saito. We've got a bridge to build and a team to bring to the medics."

It didn't take long for Saito's squad to bring Kakashi's back to the village to get healed by whatever kind of civilian medic and medical ninjutsu available to them at the time. The healing went fairly well, though the occasional scar and bruise would be left just as a reminder of their little battle. Once they woke up, all they could remember was fighting Zabuza and his apprentice, though Sakura did scream when she saw the scar across her cheek and the one across her chest from nipple to nipple. To her, she was hideous.

To everyone on Saito's squad...well, they already thought she was hideous from the get go. Now they thought her outer beauty was just as ugly as her inner beauty, though she could use a few more scars for a kicker.

It didn't matter to them. All that was left was the bridges completion and getting paid.

Now that the worst of the mission was over with, all that was left to the squads was their training and relaxing.

Little did they know that on the horizon, a new group would rise up to capture those like Saito...and only time would tell the victor.


	14. Righteous Fury: Rescue of a Loved One

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it. I also do not own Inuyasha or Love Hina.**

Chapter Fourteen: Righteous Fury: Rescue of a Loved One

To everyone on Saito's squad...well, they already thought she was hideous from the get go. Now they thought her outer beauty was just as ugly as her inner beauty, though she could use a few more scars for a kicker.

It didn't matter to them. All that was left was the bridges completion and getting paid.

Now that the worst of the mission was over with, all that was left to the squads was their training and relaxing.

Little did they know that on the horizon, a new group would rise up to capture those like Saito...and only time would tell the victor.

The remaining time was spent working on the bridge or trying to further their training. Naturally, Hunter Squad Alpha was doing a little bit of both. They helped build the bridge while making it into a training exercise to improve their stamina and their physical limits. Once they were done on the bridge, they were learning from Haku and Zabuza about things that Kurenai and Anko were unable to teach them, such as some Kirigakure jutsus, the basics of swordsmanship, though Shino seemed to take to the way of the sword like a fish to water, and other things they were unable to learn at Konoha.

Team Kakashi, however, simply learned the Water Walking method, did some mild exercises, and learned a jutsu or two on the way, though it seemed like Sasuke was learning more than the rest of his team. Kiba often tried to confront their sensei about how Sasuke was learning jutsu that even they hadn't seen before and was dismissed just as quickly. Sakura didn't seem to mind, though that was also probably because she felt that Sasuke needed to be the strongest member on their team, if not in the whole village.

Of course, she believed that the genin captain of the team they were forced to cooperate with tried to act cool to get her attention.

Sadly, those delusions were made without remembering that he was in love with his female teammate and another girl on the team a year ahead of them. Why would he want someone like her when he had two REAL beauties to go home to?

Still, the time period had passed with little incident, only requiring Saito and Hinata to hold back Anko from tortu...I mean, training young Haruno in the true ways of the kunoichi. As soon as the bridge was completed, both teams decided to stay one more night to make sure that no remnants of Gato's empire would come back and attack. Naturally, nobody dared to attack or face the wrath of the Blood Myst Kitsune after what he did on the bridge to the business tycoon/dictator and every single one of his thugs.

It took a while for the village to finally bid the large group farewell with Saito promising young Inari he'd come back one day to help train him to become stronger to protect his loved ones...of course this followed an apology for sticking him in the retched genjutsu that he wouldn't use on his most hated enemies, but the boy admitted that he needed the reality check, though it was rather harsh. All-in-all, the two made a new friend in the other and it never hurt to have another reason to live.

"So what do you think we should name this bridge, Tazuna," asked one of the people who helped build the bridge as the village watched the backs of their heroes as they marched back to their village.

"I know," called out the soft voice of Inari, his eyes still showed he was haunted by small pieces of the former blond's memories. "Let's call it the Great Saito Bridge, in dedication of the courage he brought to us and the strength he gave us to stand back up when Gato continued to push us down."

Tazuna and Tsunami placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "Yeah. That's what we'll call it. After the man who helped save you from the eternal darkness that used to plague your heart, which in turn gave us all hope to save ourselves from the same darkness."

**In the Forests of Fire Country**

Zabuza and Haku stayed close to Hunter Squad Alpha, neither of them liking the looks Team Kakashi was giving them, though Sasuke kept leering at Haku while Sakura glared at the Ice Princess. Without hesitation, Zabuza and Saito both released a fair amount of killing intent to the duo until their wandering eyes changed to gaze upon the road ahead. Despite their different personalities, Zabuza and Saito seemed to hit it off immediately after a conversation about their methods of learning, how they discovered how they wanted to go about their shinobi career, and other things ranging from favorite literature to favorite meals.

About half way on the road to Konoha, a large fox baring two tails appeared in front of the group, frantic as it searched for its leader. "Lord Saito," it shouted, rushing up to the raven-haired young man.

Immediately, Saito and Hinata were on guard. "What's wrong, Matsu?"

Taking a few breaths to steady its mind, the young fox looked up, fear evident in its eyes. "It's Lady Tenten! She's been captured by slavers as her team slept!" The killing intent was unreal. Saito's eyes began to glow a deep crimson and violet and Hinata's Byakugan subconsciously activated in raw anger.

"Do you know where they are located, Matsu," he asked the crazed kitsune, answered by a furious nod. Turning to his teammates, he takes a deep gulp. "Anko-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Shino. I need you to go to Konoha and report to Old Man Sarutobi about our mission completion. Haku-chan, Hinata-hime, and I will follow Matsu to rescue Tenten and whoever else those bastard slavers have hostage, then we'll return with Gai-sensei's Team." Saito shivered slightly. "No matter how much that bastard Neji gets his ass kicked by me, it never seems to do much more than shove that nine-foot pole further up his tight ass. Having to come and rescue his teammate will really drive that asshole bat shit crazy."

Anko and Kurenai nodded with a soft chuckle. They both knew that he would have done this for any of them. It was simply his nature. "Alright, Saito-kun," said Anko with a comforting nod. "We expect a message when you are on your way back with Team Gai."

With a quick nod, Hinata, Haku, and Saito darted off, following the lead of their kitsune companion. Of course they all knew Kakashi would try and twist this into something that could possibly have gotten the team in trouble, but with how close their captain was with the Hokage, he would know when he was telling the truth and a flat out lie with ease.

"Come on," called out Zabuza as he watched his adopted daughter, her love, and the young Hyuuga girl rush off in search of this Tenten girl, someone Saito obviously had feelings for. "It shouldn't take us much longer before we reach Konoha and I can finally start to settle down for once."

The smaller group nodded before rushing towards Konoha, intent on delivering the message they received from the messenger kitsune.

Off in the distance, the young kitsune and the trio of ninjas behind him were running in a hurried pace, though it was never too taxing thanks to their training. Haku was the only one breathing hard, though she hadn't been training with their squad for more than a week at most. After a while, Matsu had finally made it to Team Gai's camp grounds just in time to see the three male members finishing their training session with one another, a grim and angry look plastered on two of the three faces.

"Gai-sensei," called out Saito, causing Gai to look over at him. Immediately, a smile adorned the elder Taijutsu teacher's face, though the sadness radiating through it was plain to see. "Matsu told me all about what happened. We just finished our mission, now we're here to help save Tenten-hime."

Gai nodded. "Thank you, Saito-kun. I know that Tenten would appreciate this very much. We've pinpointed the slaver's encampment a few hours ago, but they must have found our camp and kidnapped Tenten in her sleep. None of us were prepared."

"It's quite alright, Gai-sensei. You did your best." Rock Lee quietly approached Saito, his body shaking mildly in sadness. "Brother Maito, do not worry. If it comes down to it, we'll kill any bastard who tried to lay their hands on our family. That's no promise. It's a guarantee."

Lee looked up and his bright smile returned. "Thank you, Brother Saito."

"Gai-sensei, would you mind if I took charge of the mission...temporarily. I have a few ideas that could work in rescuing the slaver's captives and...permanently disabling their little group." For a moment, everything was quiet until Gai gave a nod. "We will need this to be a stealthy mission, so we need to keep our exuberance down until the situation status is back to normal. Gai-sensei. This will be fast and quiet. As much as I hate to say this, we'll need you both to take out the guards. Snap their necks as quickly as you can, but do not venture into the camp itself. Neji, you and Hinata will use your Byakugan to scout out the main camp. We need to know how many guards are there and where the captives are located. Once we can separate the captives from the slavers, I'll make as many Shadow Clones as I can and kill all of the bandits quickly and quietly. Once that's over, I'll flare my chakra once to send the all clear. Hinata, Haku, and I will free the prisoners and do as much as we can to get them ready to leave for Konoha where they can get dressed, a proper medical evaluation, and anything else they might need."

Everyone nodded, though Neji simply tried to ignore the captain. "That is an excellent plan, Saito-kun. Your teachers must be very proud to have you on their squad."

"Thank you, Gai-sensei. Let's put the operation into full swing. Lead us as close to the camp as you can while keeping us in the cover of the trees." A nod was all they took before lashing out like lightning through the woods to their destination.

**Slaver's Camp**

Tenten sat in a cage, her chakra drained from summoning the messenger fox, surrounded by all of the other girls and women the slaver's had captured. "Do you think they got the message," called out a young woman with purple Inuzuka markings on her cheeks. "Is Konoha coming to save us?"

A smile adorned Tenten's lips. "He'll show up. He always shows up when his precious people are in trouble." The women around her looked in shock.

"Who? What's his name, Tenten," called out a rather husky young woman with long, raven hair.

"Saito. Saito Mazaki, but he had a name before that. It's the name he gave up after finding out what really happened to him on the day he was born." The girls all leaned forward. "He used to be called Naruto Uzumaki. He's a brilliant young man who was burdened with something that took our Fourth Hokage's life to stop."

"The Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune," whispered the woman with purple Inuzuka markings. Tenten nodded.

"Even though his life had been full of hatred and pain, he never gave up. He could have easily killed everyone who tried to hurt him, but he didn't because he has so many people to care for. The Third Hokage, the Ichiraku family, his teammates, and his two beloveds. No matter how hard it gets, he'll always know that we'll always be there for him...and that's why I know he'll come save us." A small tear fell from the corner of her eye. "Because it's just his nature to be a big hero and save the day."

**Woods Behind Bandit Camp**

Their eyes focused on the camp where their friend and other women were being held against their will. Four of them had eyes stained with fury and rage while the only male simply regarded this with neutral white eyes. "Hinata, Neji! Stage One!" The two activated their Byakugan Eyes instantly, counting the number of guards around the camp, the number of people sleeping in the camp, and the number of hostages.

"There are exactly eighteen guards surrounding the camp," called out Neji.

"Thirty people in the camp, though only twenty are asleep and eight of them have ninja training. The ones with ninja training are awake. There are also nineteen hostages, including Tenten." Hinata's chakra slightly flared, though she brought it under control without a problem. "These bastards hurt Tenten."

"I know, Hinata-chan. I find people like them more despicable than murderers. To take pleasure in forcing themselves on other women, then selling them to others who plan to do the same thing." Saito placed a comforting hand on the young Hyuuga heiress's shoulder.

Neji simply scoffed. "This was Tenten's fate. She was fated to be kidnapped and probably raped. I don't see why you don't just..." Nothing and nobody could react fast enough to keep Saito's fist from impacting Neji's stomach, nor did they move fast enough to keep him from slamming his knee into his ground-gazing face, sending him rocketing up to a tree limb before crashing back down to earth.

"She's your teammate and one of the loves of my life and you say she was fated to be raped against her will by some vile scum sucking shit stain?!" Saito's disgusted look was only amplified by his 'minute' amount of killing intent. "What if they weren't only slaving women, but men as well? I bet a Hyuuga, even a Branch Member, would be worth quite the price in Kumo! Would you say that your fate was to supply Kumo with the Byakugan by being drained of every ounce of your seed by nearly a dozen women who thought of you like the scum on the sole of their shoes!?" Neji simply laid there, too badly hurt by two moves to even respond. "Then, if by some miracle, they let you live and return to Konoha, the Hyuuga council would more than likely end your life for supplying them with the weapon they desired for so many years that it took your father's life!"

Gai looked down at his student with soft eyes. "Even if it were you, a boy I've grown to detest and despise since our Academy days, I'd still rush my ass down here to save you! The least you can do for your own teammate is to take this mission seriously!"

Gai looked toward Saito, tears threatening to burst from his eyes. "Though the words you say are harsh indeed, I know that they have possibly stricken a chord in Neji's heart."

Saito turned away for a moment. "At least it's better than what I did for a kid just to show him the light. However," he said with a growl as he glared at the fallen comrade, "if he goes back to his fate schtick again, I'll probably be forced to use that Genjutsu again. Trust me. Nobody wants to see what it does or what it contains within it."

Looking toward the bandit camp with renewed vigor. "Alright. Gai-sensei, Lee. Stage Two! GO!" With that, the two taijutsu members disappeared to do their assigned duty. "Hinata-hime, do you hate me for what I just did to your cousin?" By now, the pain had caused Neji to pass out.

Hinata shook her head as she continued to watch Gai and Lee take down guards with a snap of the neck. "No. As much as I can't stand to say this, Inari and Neji likely needed what you did to them, though I don't think anything aside from a much heavier beating will show Neji the error in his ways."

Saito nodded in acceptance. "I kinda guessed that's what would likely do it, but we're on a mission and I needed his compliance. If he wasn't going to go at this mission with everything he had, then he needed to learn what other outcomes could have happened. I'm not proud of it, but it was something that needed to be done."

A few minutes passed in silence until Hinata spoke up again. "Alright. All of the guards are dead. It's your time to shine, I guess, Saito-kun." With a kiss from Hinata and Haku, Saito created sixty Shadow Clones in a matter of seconds, using making five in the first second, then each clone created five every second until exactly sixty were standing. All sixty flashed through hand seals until each and every one of them disappeared from normal sight before gliding off to the camp.

While this was a new sight to all of the people around him, they had only needed to guess that the Genjutsu used on him, the Hidden Arm of the Phantom technique, was only truly at home with a hunter like him.

As the dozens of clones passed through the camp, readying their weapons from kunai to his bow and arrows, it seemed that the people they passed by while trying to get into position felt a cold draft cross their backs, causing them to turn suddenly only to see the ink-like sky hidden behind the numerous trees. According to his calculations, there were officially two clones, including himself, to each person. While this might seem like overkill, if one of the deadly shots were to miss and alert the slavers, then there would be one massive assault that would likely cause unnecessary injuries on both sides.

"Archers," he whispered through his little microphone. "Launch weapons at the chakra-trained bandits. Melee support, sever all enemy means of contacting anyone outside of these woods. In 3....2.....1.....Now." The arrows flew silently into the skulls of their prey, ending their lives in an instant. The Melee Support Squad had located the radio tent, killed the bandit manning it, then destroyed the equipment silently. "Alright. Kill all sleeping and awakened bandits quietly. Leave no man alive."

Drawing his kusari-gama, Saito used the shadows around him to blend into the tent's background before relieving the five bandit's before them of their heads. The odd thing was...these bandits wore Iwa and Kuso headbands, though none were slashed indicating none of them were missing ninjas. What the hell was going on here? Why were these shinobi slave trading and why were there no true bandits in the group?

Nothing made sense to him unless...the Raikage and Tsuchikage were actively hunting down women and capturing them to serve as their slaves. _'No wonder their chakra coils __showed no signs of being trained. They were genin, probably fresh out of the academy. The trained ones might have been their jonin teachers, but that would mean eight teams with between two and three genin on each cell. Even as far as jonin go, this is really weak. Like picking off a chunin,' _the young man thought to himself as he received the last memories from the clones he summoned. Only the captives remain. Flaring his chakra once, he charged toward the cages where the captives were supposed to be...only to find them completely empty and devoid of any signs of life.

A cruel laughter came from behind one of the tents as a fairly young-looking man with salt-and-pepper colored hair stepped up, a wicked-looking broadsword clutched in his heavily-armored hand, the blade held against Tenten's throat. "So Konoha sent kids to stop us, eh? I thought I was worth at least an ANBU squad. Now what will I do? Your squad killed all of my men, but I have the girl held hostage."

Saito clenched his fists to his side, his glare enhanced only by his killing intent. The man simply laughed. "Oh my! Such an impressive amount of killing intent for one as young as yourself! You must care for this little girl, don't you?"

Saito's teeth were grinding against one another. "You have no fucking idea who you're messing with, asshole. If you knew who I was, you'd be shitting yourself right about now."

The man simply grinned. "Oh. I heard about what you did to Gato in Wave Country. Very impressive. You killed every single one of them without remourse."

"Either they died or my friends died and I'm not going to lose some sleep over a little blood spilled." The man's eyes widened in excitement. "For thinking about hurting her or any of the other girls, I'll make sure that the only thing identifiable of yours is your ugly mug for when I go to collect the bounty on your ass."

Tossing Tenten aside, the man's grin threatened to split his face in half. "Wonderful! Make me feel alive! Show me just how much she means to you by killing me!"

Saito nodded, a grim look crossed his face. "Fine. It's your funeral." With practiced ease, the young man sliced his palm with the kusari-gama, only for the blood being shed to form into a thick mist that even the Sharingan couldn't pierce. "**FEAR THE BLOOD MYST KITSUNE, SAITO MAZAKI! Mazaki Hidden Art: Chaos of the Blood Tide!**"

Without warning, the sound of rushing waters came upon them at a pace much faster than most would have believed possible. The sound of rushing water impacting flesh was like music to his ears right now, but the man simply laughed it off before charging toward the direction the water came from before bringing his blade downward and crying out, "Shinmeiryu Ken: Stone Cutting Sword!"

A large blade of chakra was unleashed from the blade, tearing apart the ground beneath it with a surprising amount of pressure and strength. Saito barely managed to dodge the close strike. Surprise was evident on his face, though the mist covered it up fairly well and allowed him to recover before striking again. "Shadow Art: Reaper's Forbidden Cage of Eternal Darkness!"

A large pool of shadowy energy came from beneath the man before dozens of bones managed to ensnare his body in a cocoon of sorts. "Shinmeiryu Ken: True Lightning Sword!" A burst of electrical energy was felt before a sharp yellow blade sliced its way through the darkened prison. The only signs the jutsu did what it was meant to do was the paling of his skin tone and the rings around his eyes. Essentially, the Cage of Eternal Darkness was meant to drain one of his life essence by cutting him off from the sun and using chakra to drain him of his remaining strength. Wonderful technique, though weaker than most capturing jutsus due to the amount of chakra it takes simply to summon it, much less maintain it for long periods of time.

The man seemed to glare at the young man, having an idea as to where his location was by now. "What's wrong, Kumo ninja," came a whisper from behind him. "Afraid of the dark?" The glowing yellow sword slashed behind him as he spun around quite harshly...only to hit nothing. "It's not too surprising," Saito again whispered in his ear. "You Kumo shinobi live in the light that you forget about the darkness lurking inside of the light, waiting to come out and play."

The Kumo ninja spun around again, his yellow sword glowing brighter in either anger or fear. Again, his blade met no resistance. A sharp pain cried from a wound on his left leg, causing his concentration to falter. Still, his voice remained silent. Nothing would deter him from beating this...boy and sending him into oblivion. "You don't get it, do you? Ever since I made this mist, I've been the one in control. I've been making you waste your chakra on every technique by slowly infuriating you by teasing and taunting you."

"Come out, coward," the Kumo shinobi cried as he slashed around him constantly, only to be rewarded by more pain from his limbs.

"Aren't shinobi supposed to keep to the shadows? To kill without a sound and move without disturbing the ground?" The boy continued to mock him. NOBODY had DARED to mock him in Kumo, knowing that their lives could have been ended the second they thought about doing so. His reputation as the Crypt Bringer was on the line and a genin...A GENIN....was slowly pushing him into a corner where there was no doubt that he would die.

Everything was tense. Neither person had moved from their individual positions. "You know, I have always loathed people in your profession, hired by the Kage's of their own countries. People who rape innocent women for their own disgusting pleasure, then selling them to rich nobles as slaves. It's sickening. The last time I saw a rapist, well, they never did find his body, though I can tell you that even if they did, there was no possible way to identify him."

"That doesn't mean shit to me, brat. I'm a jonin in Kumo's grand ninja force and nobody's ever lived after encountering me. Even if you have the advantage in this mist, you don't even have the strength to kill me. You're just a pathetic genin with a lucky bloodline." The killing intent intensified and two sets of chakra spikes were felt down to his very bones. As the mist faded away, the outline of a young boy, his 'victim', now stood there, his kusari-gama drawn and a pair of violet wings protruding from his spine. In addition to the wings were three fox tails, giving him a more demonic appearance.

Young Saito could see the frightened expression drawn on the once strong man's face. A smirk appeared on his face as he swung the deadly blade by the chain high above his head. "Now you see why nobody I've fought has survived. You're simply my next victim, though I can finally feel happy knowing that another rapist and slaver has fallen by my hands." The man didn't know what hit him...until his lifeless body fell to the ground, blood seeping from his body.

With that final blow, he sent chakra into his wings and tails, sealing them back within the tattoos that sat along his spine. For a moment, Saito felt his knees briefly give out before regaining control and placing his weapon back at his hip. "Bastard made me use quite a bit of chakra, but keeping him from doing this again is its own reward." Slowly, the young half-demon walked over to a chair that sat outside of the cages and sat down rather hard before leaning back and closing his eyes momentarily.

"Saito-kun," whispered a familiar voice from nearby. "Are you alright?" Saito chuckled.

"This is me we're talking about. I can't even fight a jonin level opponent or train properly without nearly falling to chakra exhaustion." Looking over his body, he could see that any wounds he suffered, which were relatively few, had long since disappeared. "Yeah. About as well as I can be considering all the crap I went through the past week or two."

With those reaffirming words, Tenten walked out from behind a tent followed by the rest of the women that had been captured. Tenten rushed forward before tackling her lover off of the chair and onto the ground, wrapping her arms around him in a vice-like grip. "He was pretty weak for a jonin. Didn't compare to the shit Zabuza put my ass through though. I can still feel the ribs he broke on our first encounter." When Tenten squeezed him once, Saito grunted mildly in pain. "Never mind. This is a whole new injury." Tenten chuckled before motioning her hand toward the other girls in a signal to come over. The first two the young Mazaki man noticed were a lithe raven-haired woman and an older woman with long brown hair and two purple rectangles under her eyes like the Inuzuka clan's markings.

"Saito-kun, these are the women I met when I was initially captured." Pointing her finger at the raven-haired girl, she spoke. "This is Motoko Aoyama. Her family, before that man came to learn their style, using it to slaughter her entire family, were the original practitioners of the Shinmeiryu Style. The girl next to her claims to be a Konoha medical ninja by the name of Rin Inuzuka." Saito's eyes widened momentarily before settling into a friendly shade of blue.

"Rin Inuzuka, teammate of Kakashi Hatake, current jonin sensei of Team Seven, and Obito Uchiha, the only Uchiha I'd probably have ever gotten along with, under jonin sensei Minato Namikaze, also known as Konoha's Yellow Flash and my father. Practiced Medical ninjutsu. Implanted Obito's Sharingan Eye into Kakashi after the scarecrow lost his eye against a Kumo shinobi moments before Obito's being crushed by a stray boulder while protecting Rin." Rin simply looked shocked that a young boy about twenty years her junior knew so much about those days of old. "Don't be shocked. I read up on everybody's profile from the days when Sarutobi-jiji was first inducted as Sandaime Hokage."

Rin chuckled a bit before adopting a serious expression. "That's all well and good, but I have to ask...why isn't your name Namikaze?"

Saito's joyous smile took a turn to the dark. "After I found out that he sealed away the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune, with his only backup plan being that my mother, who abandoned me in Konoha, and my twin sister would be there for me, I couldn't stand the name Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. So I changed it. I don't want anything to do with him or his clan. I just....can't live a life that was never mine to begin with." A sad smile ran up his face. "Still, I have more people who I'd gladly give my life to protect, as you probably saw moments ago."

Shaking his head of the depressing thoughts, Saito decided to clear the tension. "Enough about me. How did you end up here in the first place?"

Rin's smile also dimmed. "I was sent on a mission to spy on the Raikage about thirteen years ago when it seemed like Kumo was ready to attack us so soon after our war against Iwa. I was captured by the slavers before I breached Lightning Country's borders and I've been raped a few times since then, though after the first year of captivity they had stopped raping me in order to rape another, much younger woman." Her dim smile returned to normal as she glanced at Tenten. "You're lucky. They were planning on raping her tonight."

Saito grit his teeth before glancing at his hands. "There's a chance I can...heal you. Bring back what was forcibly taken from you so you can give it to someone you love again. It's going to be hard...and probably a bit painful, but I think it's worth it." Rin stood there, shock, being the first expression, etched onto her face with painful accuracy before hope shortly replaced it. "I learned how to after...my tenant warned me about the dangers of life as a kunoichi that Hinata and Tenten might face."

"Do you....think you could," she asked hesitantly. "There are many women who, I'm sure, would love the chance to give their future husbands their virginity and start over again." Saito nodded roughly.

"The only thing is...you'll each need to strip from your waist down. Do you think you'd be comfortable having me do this," the hanyou asked, only to receive nods in response. "Alright. Rin...let's start with you." Rin did as she was told without hesitation. Gently, he placed his hand over her vagina before slowly channeling his demonic chakra the same way a medic would channel their own chakra.

The process did hurt, as she felt the skin inside of her tighten up before the familiar feel of repairing flesh came to her. The process did burn a bit on the outside, but the damage was quickly repaired. To test out the truth in the process, she placed her middle finger as far as she could before the feeling of her virgin wall blocked her further process. Tears of joy slowly streamed down her cheeks before she moved aside so that the others might feel the miracle they believed truly lost once now become reality once again.

One by one, the women walked up in excitement, a quick burning and tightening sensation before they too were healed. It was only after the third hour did the last woman feel the painful sensation before being healed and walking back to her friends. With a look at his hand again, he could make out the large amount of chakra burns on his palm and finger tips. A sigh escaped his lips before he smiled kindly to the women he rescued. Gai, Lee, Hinata, Tenten, Haku, and a now awakened Neji stood on the sidelines knowing that their mission was accomplished.

"Damn. That took a load of chakra out of me." A dry chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to forcibly move his arms and clench his hands, only for them not to respond. "And I'm back to chakra exhaustion square one again." Rin and the other ninjas just chuckled along with him, though Motoko and the others were confused about everything that just took place. Looking over to the Konoha ninjas, Saito grinned. "Could one of you carry me back home? I'm kinda unable to move. I'll even release the weights for the one who accepts!" Rin raised her hand quickly enough.

"It's the least I could do for the man who rescued us," she said with joy in her voice. As soon as he used the Tora seal, a powerful shock wave seemed to push the air a bit before dying down. With a soft grunt, the medic nin heaved the young man onto her back. "Come on, ladies. Next stop: Konohagakure." The women all rallied behind their default leader before walking to their new home in Konoha.

It was hours before they managed to get to the front gates where Kotetsu and Izumo stood silent, well...more like constant complaining, vigil over the towering gate. As soon as they saw a large group approaching the gates, they quickly armed themselves, believing this to be an invading army.

Luckily, they saw that most of this army already looked fairly ragged from their trip and that Team Gai, Hinata Hyuuga, and Saito Mazaki were at the head of the group, Saito being carried by another woman who looked remarkably close to the Inuzuka clan.

"Kotetsu! Izumo!" The energetic hunter waved his hand in an exaggerated arc. "Get the hell out of our way or I'll paint bomb your clothes pink!" The two guards felt their heads grow mildly heavier.

Yep. That was Saito. Only he could make a threat using paint successfully. Without needing any further similar threats with their underwear, the duo moved aside and let the large group pass through the gates. Their path leading to the Hokage Tower.

While some of the villagers were gaping at the sheer size of the group, most of them glared when they saw who it was leading them to their beloved Hokage. The ANBU, seeing the large group coming from miles away, alerted their Hokage of the group. As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi showed up just outside of the tower, Saito kindly hopped off of Rin's back and walked toward the elder.

"Mission Accomplished, Old Man. Assisting Team Gai, Hinata, Haku, and I were able to help them take down the slavers from Iwa and Kumo and rescue the hostages." The Hokage nodded, a smile on his face even as he passed over the face he hadn't seen in thirteen years.

Rin openly gaped at the amount of disrespect the former blond showed the man who led their village for so many years. "Saito! Show some respect for your leader!"

Sarutobi chuckled. "Don't worry, Rin-chan. In his own way, calling me Grandpa and Old Man is being respectful. After all, I'd rather be respected as family than simply for the office I hold." His eyes softened considerably. "It means so much to me to see you after so long, Rin-chan. I wish Minato hadn't sent you on that mission, but there was an increasing number of signs that Kumo was preparing their army to attack. I'm sure Tsume and Kakashi would love to see you again after so long and we can finally remove your name from the memorial stone."

Rin nodded eagerly and ran off to the Inuzuka clan compound to meet her sister for the first time since she left for her mission. It would be a very emotional day in the Inuzuka household.

Saito was next to be turned to. "Saito-kun, while I'm glad you went out of your way to help another Konoha ninja, your team and Team Seven could have been attacked on their way here. I understand that they were less than an hour away from the gates, but that does not excuse the fact that you abandoned them."

Saito lowered his head, awaiting his punishment. "However, you did rescue several young women from foreign ninjas from two countries who are known enemies of Konoha as well as rescue a ninja once thought dead, so I'll let this one slide for now. You did Konoha a great service by helping Team Gai on their mission and as such, I will mark it down as another A-Rank mission for both Gai's team as well as yourself and Miss Hyuuga."

"Thanks, Old Man," whispered Saito as he hugged his surrogate grandfather.

"That's quite alright, Saito-kun. For now, go spend some quality time with Hinata-chan and Tenten-chan. I'm sure they're sitting in your little makeshift home, wondering how long I'll keep you here." For a moment, Saito's eyes widened before closing them and chuckling to himself.

"I can never keep anything from you, huh, Old Man," he stated, shaking his head softly. "Gods know that damned crystal ball of yours is always on me night and day." With that, Saito walked out of the office to where his beloved future wives were resting. Now, only Motoko, who was currently speaking for the women whose families and villages were either destroyed or moved to a different country to try and settle their grief-stricken hearts.

"Miss Aoyama," he addressed her kindly. "I see that you and the other young women are technically homeless. I would like to welcome you to join Konoha as citizens. I have an apartment set up that Saito hardly ever uses anymore. It's a little worn down, but the utilities are on and I've had new furniture set up there just in case Saito-kun ever decided to go back there. You are all welcome to stay there for free, if you wish."

Motoko smiled kindly, like she remembered her sister used to when she was younger. "If it is alright by you, Hokage-sama, I'd like to stay with Lord Mazaki, Tenten-chan, and Lady Hyuuga. I'd feel much...safer with people I can trust." The Hokage cocked his head to the side slightly. "Ever since my...abduction and those...pigs had their way with me, I've formed a deep seeded hatred of men, but Lord Mazaki is different than most men. He's respectful of the women he surrounds himself with. He does not think that women are weaker than men. He shows compassion to everyone he meets, even if he's never met them before in his life. He also hates rapists, if his brutal slaying of their leader was anything to go by."

The wise old man sighed. "Ever since a Kumo ninja had tried to kidnap Hinata, he's hated people like that, but when a ninja tried to rape the medical ninja he'd grown close to since he was young, he's grown to loath people who would force themselves on others, whether they are women or men, a rapist is a rapist in his eyes. Sadly, the woman he tried to save had died in the end. Her name was Lori Morita. She was like his mother, always taking care of him, punishing him when he didn't do his homework or healing him when he got hurt."

Motoko smiled, a stray tear falling from her eyes. "She sounds just like my sister, Tsuroko. Since mother died, we were all alone. Eventually, she took mother's place when it came to cooking, making me study, teaching me the Shinmeiryu style our ancestors practiced. Sometimes I'd call her Tsuroko-kaa-chan just to get her to smile."

A moment of silence was taken, the air thick with memories of sadness. "Very well. Lee-kun will take you there once I summon him. He and Saito are very good friends, almost brothers in a way. You can trust him to not rape you. You have my word." Motoko seemed a bit hesitant, but nodded in agreement. With the snap of his fingers, a female ANBU showed up from out of thin air. "Neko-chan. Can you fetch young Lee for me. I need him to bring Lady Aoyama to Saito-kun's secret hideaway." A nod and another disappearance and the female ANBU was gone to complete her assignment.

Moments later, Neko arrived followed closely by Rock Lee, the...odd male that was on Tenten's team, if she remembered correctly. "Thank you, Lady Neko. I'll be sure to give Saito-kun your warmest regards." Turning to Motoko, Lee's face formed some kind of expression somewhere between serious and happy. "It is wonderful to see that you are well, Ma'am."

"Lee-kun," Sarutobi said, a serious tone rumbled in his throat. "Lady Aoyama wishes to stay with Saito-kun and the rest of his family. Since you occasionally stay there from time to time, I believed you to be the best person to bring her there. Well, that and I did not wish to have to disclose their little home's location to anybody that could potentially use it to launch an attack on him like they did when he lived at his old apartment."

Lee nodded quickly before motioning Motoko to follow his lead. The trip was rather silent for most of the trip. They made turns into dead ends, random stores, and other various places. Lee would always look over his shoulder, sometimes going as far as using a small mirror to look around corners and above him on the rooftops. As soon as they entered a clothing store did Motoko decide to speak up.

"Lee-san," she said as she quietly watched Lee's cautious methods of looking behind him, "why do you act so paranoid and keep looking over your shoulder?" Lee moved, placing his back against the wall away from any windows where they could be seen talking.

"Someone is following us," he said quietly. I can't see him or her, but I can feel it in my gut. Someone is following us and Lord Hokage didn't send them."

Motoko nodded softly. "Don't you ninjas have something you use to contact your teammates in case you get separated?"

"Technically, we do, but I'm kind of an exception. You see, when I was born, the doctors found out my chakra coils were malformed. I only have enough chakra in my system to survive and I'm unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, thus why I rely on taijutsu in my ninja career. Most shinobi flare their chakra in order to alert their teammates that they are in trouble."

Motoko nodded in acceptance. A birth defect that practically crippled his chances at being a ninja, yet he still carried on with the only path left available to him. "There has to be something you can do to let Lord Mazaki know you are in trouble. You're both friends, so there has to be something that nobody else knows about."

Lee scrunched his face in contemplation. "There is...one thing, but there is a chance that I'll be mildly injured after doing it. I'll need you to watch over my body once I'm done, alright?" Once Motoko nodded, the duo walked out of the shop and into the middle of the street. "Alright. Here we go." Taking a kunai, he cut open his palm before wiping it on his left shoulder. A soft red glow shone through the green fabric. "Initial Gate...RELEASE!" A powerful aura of chakra surrounded his body. As soon as the chakra touched his blood-soaked seal on his arm, the glowing seal turned violet for a moment before dying down.

The moment the chakra aura died down, Lee fell to the ground, his breathing was heavy and labored and his heart was pounding against his ribs. Apparently his muscles were badly torn because he continued to fall every time he tried to stand back up.

It truly didn't take long before Saito arrived, his fans drawn in both hands before he saw Lee and Motoko. Saito approached the duo and knelt down to Lee.

Lee smiled. "Hello, Brother Saito. Lord Hokage asked me to bring Lady Aoyama to your home, but someone was following us until we ducked in the store behind us. I know that this ninja wasn't sent by Lord Hokage either. This is someone else entirely."

Saito's eye twitched before he sat down in a meditative position and began to channel his chakra. A soft purple aura surrounded him, followed by invisible pulses of the purple chakra. "Come on out. I can sense you standing behind the trash can in that dead end alley to the left of the clothing store." A few seconds passed by before a young man wearing an ANBU style mask unfamiliar to the raven-haired hanyou.

"You are quite perceptive, Mazaki-san," he said in a monotonous tone. "Danzo-sama would like to meet you. He has a proposition for you." Saito rolled his eyes.

"Sorry to tell you, but Old Man Sarutobi warned me about Danzo and his little ROOT squad and I must say...I'd rather be stabbed eighty-three times than go visit your master. Besides, ROOT, according to the laws the Sandaime Hokage had set down after the Second Great Shinobi War, was supposed to be disbanded. Apparently, a handful tried to assassinate the Sandaime in order for Danzo to be unanimously elected Hokage and I, for one, am rather loyal to Old Man Sarutobi."

"That is...disappointing to hear. I'm afraid that I'll have to end you now. You've grown too powerful and independent for Danzo to have any use." The ROOT ANBU drew his katana and charged the trio, intent on ending their lives. The moment his blade touched Saito's body, it disappeared in a fog. He slashed at Rock Lee, but he too turned into smoke. Lastly, his blade touched the newcomer, but she too turned to smoke.

A deep red aura rose against the sun's powerful rays. Before he could release the genjutsu, he felt his body go limp and numb. "The False Death technique. My personal favorite to use on people bent on killing me, though I'm sure I would have preferred to kill you, there's no doubt in my mind that Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino can drag some information from you before you die."

The man's world went black.

Saito sighed to himself. "Bastard's lucky he's got important information on Danzo's operations and forces or else I'd have killed him right away." Taking the time to search his body, he removed a handful of basic ninja weapons and took the katana from his possession. He also found quite a few bottles of poison as well as a false tooth with a suicide pill hidden inside. "Neko-chan," the man whispered before Neko, the ANBU from before, and Tora, another ANBU that was often kind to Saito during his younger years, both dropped down from the rooftops. "Tora. It seems that this whelp works for Danzo and was sent to either recruit me or kill me. Could you bring Inoichi in because I have this odd feeling that he won't say anything if Ibiki tortures him."

The duo nodded before bringing the now unarmed ROOT member to T&I.

Saito scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Well, that's one way to welcome you to Konoha, though I did hope it would be less....dramatic than it turned out to be."


	15. Trial Through Fire: Enter the Exams

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it. I also do not own Inuyasha or Love Hina.**

Chapter Fifteen: Trial Through Fire: Enter the Chunin Exams

Saito sighed to himself. "Bastard's lucky he's got important information on Danzo's operations and forces or else I'd have killed him right away." Taking the time to search his body, he removed a handful of basic ninja weapons and took the katana from his possession. He also found quite a few bottles of poison as well as a false tooth with a suicide pill hidden inside. "Neko-chan," the man whispered before Neko, the ANBU from before, and Tora, another ANBU that was often kind to Saito during his younger years, both dropped down from the rooftops. "Tora. It seems that this whelp works for Danzo and was sent to either recruit me or kill me. Could you bring Inoichi in because I have this odd feeling that he won't say anything if Ibiki tortures him."

The duo nodded before bringing the now unarmed ROOT member to T&I.

Saito scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Well, that's one way to welcome you to Konoha, though I did hope it would be less....dramatic than it turned out to be."

Lee simply shook his head, chuckling softly. "Well, nothing's ever not dramatic when you're around, Brother Saito." At this, the hunter-nin-in-training felt his head drop.

Motoko, who had gotten up from her crouched position by Rock Lee, moved closer to Saito, though her hand was moving closer to the sword he had taken from the 'ROOT' ninja. "Master Mazaki," she said, her voice full of excitement as she slowly placed the katana in her hands, examining it with the trained eyes of a swordswoman, "could you give me that katana...so I can reacquaint myself with the Shinmeiryu style, that is?"

Saito cocked his head to the side, scrunching his eyes a bit, causing Motoko to giggle. He soon righted himself before giving the fine blade to her lithe, calloused hands with a smile. "Of course. It would only seem right that you learn the style of your family. Besides, I'm not much for melee combat and carrying it around would only hamper my style of fighting." Motoko nodded, accepting the blade with quiet dignity before releasing a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Shisui," she whispered, her breath caressing the sword's unblemished blade. "I'll name you Shisui, in memory of Tsuroko-nee-chan's beautiful blade."

With that done, Saito and Lee decided at that moment to return to their 'hidden' home to meet back up with Hinata and Tenten.

**Inuzuka Compound**

It was about an hour after she finally came back home after being gone for so long. She stood in front of the doors, simply frozen by the view she never once believed would greet her again. She had remembered that she forgot to file a report of what happened to the Hokage, but she knew the kind old man would have told her to relax and enjoy being free once again before filing her report.

For now....Rin was home again.

Slowly, she wrapped her hands around the gate before pushing them aside and walking onto the pristine lawn stones that lead a path to the front door. Rin hesitated briefly, but knocked on the door once or twice. For a moment, everything stood still as the door was opened by none other than her sister, Tsume Inuzuka.

"Yes," she said in a gruff tone, her eyes closed momentarily as she spoke. "How can I help you?"

Rin giggled softly before wrapping her sister in a hug. "I'm back, Nee-chan," she whispered, tears slowly falling from her eyes. "I'm finally back home."

Tsume's eyes widened in shock before she lightly pushed the crying woman off of her to examine. Tears fell from her eyes also as she gazed upon the long, filthy brown hair, those deep brown eyes that seemed to be so full of sadness, but also joy, and those two unforgettable purple rectangles under her eyes. Even her scent, which was covered by a lot of scents from various men and grime, was that of her long lost sister, Rin.

The two embraced one another, silently shedding tears until no more would come out. "Come in! Come in, Rin-chan! You must tell me what happened to you all those years ago. You need to take a bath too. You reek of men and filth."

Rin nodded in agreement. "I'll head up and take a shower, Tsume-nee-chan. Afterwards, I'll tell you all about what happened and the brave young man who saved me and the other women, then healed us." Tsume nodded.

"I'll go to the store and buy you some fresh clothes, Rin." Tsume was so happy. For a moment, since thirteen years ago after she disappeared, she believed her to be dead, killed on a mission, but now that she was back, things would be different. That was a promise and Tsume Inuzuka, much like the man she wished her son could be more like, never broke a promise. It was her ninja way.

She chuckled to herself. Ever since she watched over young Saito when he was a young pup himself, she'd somehow adopted a few traits of his, such as his overbearing kindness, his 'ninja way', and his exuberant personality. He had either knowingly, or unknowingly back in those days, adopted her love of animals, hair style, and mischievous nature, though that last one could have been attributed to the fox within his gut.

After a few moments in the shower, making sure that she no longer smelled of the dead men who raped her, she walked out to find a bundle of clothes on the chair outside. She needn't be told twice before she snatched the clothes off the chair and put them on as soon as possible. When she stepped outside, her hair was kept in her new ponytail, though it was shorter than when she left the camp. She also wore a dark brown tank top with a single mail-covered left arm that reached down to her wrist. She also wore a dark pair of green Capri pants with as many pockets as a pair of cargo pants. Her old worn sandals were now a pair of jet black combat stilettos with heals about two inch long heels.

Rin gave the appearance of a more modern-day shinobi when compared to the ones from the Shodaime's era. Still, the look suited her and she was even more confidant in her abilities, though she would have to retrain herself after being captive for so long. Being able to do nothing when a boy half her age, if not a bit younger, was fighting an opponent who was going to do the same thing to other women had he lived simply to protect the women who suffered and the women who were going to suffer made her realize that.

As she walked downstairs, she was met with, not only Tsume, but her nephew and niece, Kiba and Hana. Kiba looked mildly...perturbed, but Hana seemed almost ecstatic to meet her missing aunt. "Rin, these are your niece and nephew, Hana and Kiba. Kiba, Hana, this is my sister, your aunt, Rin. She was quite an accomplished medic ninja before she disappeared."

Hana bowed politely to her. "Aunty Rin, it would be an honor if you could teach me what you know about medicinal Ninjutsu." Rin smiled and agreed. Kiba simply scoffed.

"Is this all, mom," he whined, his neck bent backward a bit in exasperation. "I've got to meet with my team in a few minutes. I don't wanna put up with Sakura when she screams at me and Kakashi-sensei for being late again." Rin's ears perked up at the mention of her old teammate.

"Kakashi? As in, Kakashi Hatake? He's your sensei?" Kiba nodded, though a bit less enthusiastically.

"Yeah. He's my sensei. Lazy, porn-loving, tardy bastard. For some reason or another, on our mission to Wave, he and Saito-baka were practically at each others throats the entire time. He even acted like he was superior to him, the fucking dobe."

At this, Rin's eye twitched. "Saito Mazaki? He, Hinata Hyuuga, a girl named Haku, and Gai's team minus Tenten-san were the ones who saved me and a bunch of other women from being raped, Kiba. He's no where near being a dead last from his performance against a jonin level Kumo ninja."

"SEE! He even tried to fight another jonin after 'beating' Zabuza Momochi, or so he claimed. I bet Kakashi captured Zabuza and the dead last took all the credit. He's an idiot for even trying to take on a jonin level missing ninja and another jonin level ninja."

Now, not only was Rin ready to beat Kiba down, but so were his sister and mother. Hana was the one to speak out. "You're only jealous that he's strong and is engaged to Hinata, even after you hounded after her for the entire time at the academy. Just face it, runt. Saito Mazaki will always be top dog of your graduating class."

"HINATA WILL BE MINE," roared Kiba as he glared at his elder sister. "I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO CRIPPLE THE BASTARD TO GET HER, SHE WILL BE MY MATE!"

Rin and the others looked on disapprovingly. "I thought you, as a fellow Leaf shinobi, would be proud that your comrade is getting stronger, but you're simply jealous because he and Hinata care for one another, possibly loves one another. It's sad and disgraceful for a Konoha shinobi to act like you. Plus, I'll be having words with Kakashi-baka about this little 'dispute' with Saito-san he's been having. Since I came back, it seems like the Leaf has fallen from where it once was during Minato-sensei's reign as Yondaime Hokage."

Tsume shook her head. "You have no idea how right you are, Rin. It's gotten so bad, I'm almost ashamed to call this place home, but that's a story for another night. Right now, you need to relax and collect yourself before turning in your report. Get used to how things are now."

"Thanks, Tsume-nee-chan," Rin said before walking out the front door. Her destination was a mystery, even to her. She simply walked down the paths she remembered most, some she even forgot about before walking down them.

As she walked along the path, she quickly found herself visiting her team's old training grounds. The young woman smiled sadly to herself. Rin remembered how Minato used to train them into the ground, never teaching just one of them, but all of them as a whole. Minato would teach Rin about Medical Ninjas, genjutsu, and a sparse few actual medical ninjutsu, Obito would learn taijutsu and some ninjutsu, and Kakashi would learn mostly ninjutsu, though a little tanto and wakizashi work would be added to round them off.

All-in-all, they had a fairly well-rounded team and they worked together like a well-oiled machine. Before showing up at Training Ground Seven, she found herself at a weapon's shop where Tenten worked occasionally. Luckily, she was working there today and gave her a great discount on senbon, weights, and a few other things that would help her bring herself back into a kunoichi like she had been before.

Immediately, she equipped herself with her recent purchases, prepared to train as hard, if not harder, than she used to simply to get back into fighting strength that she once remembered having so long ago. As she continued to train, beating a defenseless training dummy with weighed down blows, she could sense a familiar chakra come from behind her.

"Rin," he whispered, shock and joy laced his words as he slowly approached his missing teammate. "So Sandaime-sama was correct. You are still alive. Thank Kami."

Rin wanted to smile. She truly did, but she simply couldn't find it in herself to smile at the voice of her former teammate. Somehow, Kiba's words still haunted her and she wanted to find out just how true they were. Sadly, if she wanted the truth, she knew she couldn't rely on Kakashi to tell it to her. She'd have to go to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the reinstated Third Hokage and the only one who seemed to have an unbiased understanding about Saito.

"Hello, Kakashi," she said, barely audible between her grunts as she began to kick at the training dummy and rest her hands for a moment. Her knuckles bled slightly, but she was used to it...being a former medic and all that jazz. "I hear you've taken on your first team. I bet Minato-sensei would be proud that you're teaching everyone on your team the same way Minato-sensei taught us back in the day."

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she could have sworn that Kakashi had paled at the mention of their sensei's name and became paler when she mentioned teaching everyone just like their sensei. Rin turned to the side slightly, her eye twitching as she stopped abusing her training dummy. "You are teaching your whole team, aren't you?"

Kakashi waved his hands in front of him, trying to pacify the seemingly irate woman before him. "Of course. I've taught them all the Tree Walking method of chakra control. What kind of sensei would I be if I didn't help out all of my students?"

"A hypocrite," called a voice that Kakashi had been quite familiar with since their mission in Wave. "Hello, Rin-hime. I see that you've begun retraining already."

"Hello, Saito-san. I was just getting reacquainted with my old teammate, Kakashi," she said with a smile. Saito responded the same way.

"That's great to hear, Rin-hime." Saito turned around and grinned at the silver-haired jonin. Rin probably didn't notice, but while he was grinning, his eyes were glaring at the Copy Ninja. "I bet when he was a little kid he was a stuck up bastard like his young protege, Sasuke Uchiha, the last of the 'loyal' Uchiha clan. Which means you were probably a fangirl of his, though you seemed to have been better trained than most Kunoichi in the village these days." With a sad sigh, the young hunter continued. "That means that your last teammate, Obito Uchiha, was a prankster, the 'dead last' of the class, and a loudmouth. Great. The second Uchiha I could have called friend and he's dead. Such a waste."

Kakashi's single eye widened. "Second. I was never aware that you were friends with Sasuke."

Saito scoffed. "Seriously? I'd rather choke a kitten than call him friend. No. I'm talking about Itachi." Kakashi glared. "Ya know, the only thing he did wrong was murder the Uchiha clan and spare Sasuke. Hopefully, Mikoto-hime will come out of her coma soon before she has to see just what her youngest son has become. Aside from that, Itachi was pretty nice once you got to know him. He was kind and always asked whether he could copy a jutsu from someone else rather than take it without asking. Then, after he copied it, if they allowed him, he would practice it until it was perfected. Who do you think I got my training style from? You?"

"You...were friends with the person who murdered his whole clan," asked Rin, a bit of fear ran down her spine.

Saito looked down at the ground. "He had a good reason to do it. I can't tell you why because it's just as big a secret as the Kyuubi being sealed within me. I only know because Itachi told me after the deed had been done. I even remember he told me about this nice girl he met in Snow Country nearly five months before it happened, but he rarely got the chance to see her because of his duties as ANBU Captain."

Rin gave a grim smile. The thought of a friend betraying her village was a devastating thought. "It doesn't matter now. That was then. This is now. All I'm really worried about is the coming Chunin Exams. Anko-sensei's supposed to be a proctor." Kakashi's eyes widened, then narrowed at the young genin.

"How do you know anything about the exams," he demanded, his tone similar to the one he had at Wave.

"Settle down, Hatake. She never told me. If anything, I guessed she was because she never came to any more of our Team Meetings. The old man told me about the Chunin Exams being held in Konoha about a week before our A-Rank mission to save Wave. He wanted to tell all of the jonin teachers, but you never showed up." Kakashi released a small amount of killing intent.

"You will show me the proper respect, genin. I'm your superior."

Saito scoffed and Rin stood shocked by the hostile tone Kakashi used. "In rank, maybe, but not skill. Besides, I'll tell you the same thing I've told those bastards on the council. I don't give respect. You earn it. Until you show me you've done something to warrant respect, then maybe I'll show you some. Until then, you're just some cycloptic bastard with an ego and stolen jutsu that you will never be able to use properly."

Saito spun around and began to walk away. "Anyways, I just wanted to make sure Rin-hime was safe. Now that I know she is and that she knows you're still the same bastard you were when you were a kid, I'll take my leave. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon wanted to play and I don't have a whole lot to do today." Flashing the Copy Ninja the bird, Saito disappeared in a wisp of wind. Kakashi was about to apologize to Rin, but she slapped him, then disappeared as well.

"Why can things never be easy for me," he asked himself aloud.

**Playground By Ninja Academy**

It took him thirty minutes to get from his secret home to where Rin was training, though he wasn't really intending to meet up with her or Kakashi to begin with. However, he did plan on seeing how Rin was feeling after being back home after being gone for so long, though that was only after he played with Konohamaru and his friends. Still, he knocked out two birds with one stone and now he was on his way to play and train the trio known as the Konohamaru Corps.

He playfully called them Team Midget, earning him a few pouts when he did refer to them as such.

Still, being friends made their teamwork that much better, something he often complimented them on constantly. He often compared the young academy student's bond with the bond that he shared with his team. Udon was like Shino, though his mind was more like Shikamaru. Moegi was so similar to Hinata after she came out of her shell that she was like their sister. Konohamaru was obviously like Saito before the huge incident that made him change his entire lifestyle. Truthfully, he was like the son he always wanted. It made it a bit tougher for him to train the young boy, but he taught him everything he was comfortable with for a kid in the academy.

As he approached the training grounds where the trio of future genin were waiting for him patiently.

"Good afternoon, Saito-sensei," the trio shouted as a choir in perfect synchronization. Saito waved at them, a light smile adorning his face like a ring would adorn ones hand.

"Good afternoon, my students. What shall we learn today," he asked them in mock curiosity. "Should we learn the Water Walking method....or a nifty little D-Rank Earth jutsu from a scroll in my pocket?" The trio groaned in agony. "You know how this works. If you decide to learn the Water Walking method of chakra control, there's a good chance I'll teach you a C-Rank jutsu...if I think you can handle it. If you want the Earth jutsu, you will continue to train with it until I believe you've perfected it to an acceptable degree."

The three of them huddled together, discussing the benefits of a new jutsu compared to increased chakra reserves and control. In the end, they all agreed to learn the Water Walking method. They knew a handful of jutsus, ranging in element and rank. Honestly, they probably knew more than most of their peers, but what would one expect when you were taught by a slave driving brother who was concerned about your well-being all the time.

"Alright, Saito-nii-sensei," said Konohamaru in his usual tone. "We'll learn the Water Walking method, but you'd better give us a good C-Rank jutsu to learn if we do."

Saito smiled and nodded. "Alright, but before we do it, we'll do our daily exercise routine. I expect you to run three miles around the training grounds. After that, you can get a drink of water before going on with fifty push-ups, thirty-five pull-ups, and seventy-five strikes against a tree with both hands and both legs. After that, you will run another three miles around the training grounds before getting your breath back. Once I find you fit enough, I'll bring you to my favorite place where my team learned how to Water Walk for the first time." The trio nodded in agreement before starting their training ritual.

As they started their laps, two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around his waist and a familiar weight pressed into his back. "Now how did we know you would be training Konohamaru-kun and his friends after two A-Rank Missions, Saito-kun?"

Saito grinned his perverse little grin. "Come on. It could have been worse. I could be training them after going five or ten rounds with you two and doing two A-Rank Missions." One playfully hit his shoulder while the other one smacked him upside the head. There was no doubt that Hinata and Tenten were blushing profusely.

Slowly, but surely, Team Midget practically crawled back to the center of the training grounds, exhaused by their three mile run. Quickly grabbing their canteens, they drained about half of the water from them before taking a breather. In the meantime, they made small talk with the three people they thought of as family. Saito was their father and Hinata and Tenten acted as mothers, always healing them after being thoroughly thrashed by their insane teacher and father.

Now, as they began to talk with one another, Zabuza and Haku slowly approached the six children, though the three oldest ones proved that they were adults and true ninjas in every sense of the word.

"Go on, Haku," Zabuza whispered to his apprentice and adopted daughter, gently pushing her toward the man she loved and his two lovers. "You need to talk to him after all the crap that's happened. He still cares for you. Why else would he have almost sacrificed the mission of his to save us from making a big mistake?" Haku nodded hesitantly. She was admittedly afraid of confessing to the only man her age to show her any kind of devotion. The main reason she was afraid of confronting him was because he already had two women who loved him deeply, both of whom came from his own village while she was just a stranger from a different country who went through something similar to what he did.

Slowly, the young Ice Princess approached the trio before clearing her throat. "S...Saito-kun?" Sure enough, Saito looked up, as did Hinata and Tenten, with a gentle smile on his face.

"Yes, Haku-hime," he said kindly. Before Haku could say anything, Konohamaru spoke up.

"Saito-nii-san," the young boy spoke, his eyes glowing in mischievous intent. "Is she your..." sticking out his pinky in an affectionate way, everyone knew what he was trying to say. Saito smiled.

"Of course she is, Konohamaru-kun," Saito said. "She's just like me in a few ways. She was that fake hunter ninja I told you about. Even though I just met her, I could feel something in me tell me that she was someone I could grow to love just as much as Hinata-hime and Tenten-hime."

Konohamaru nodded and smiled. He was glad his brother was finding people to love and people who loved him in return. Tears fell down Haku's eyes before she practically tackled him in a warm embrace. Hinata and Tenten giggled to themselves. Even Saito was laughing out loud. After a few moments of rest, Saito ordered the rest of their team to continue training with their physical exercises and that once they were done, he'd teach them Water Walking.

It took them a few hours, but they finished the exercises and the final three mile run. After taking a small break, Saito led Hinata, Tenten, Haku, and Team Midget to his favorite training grounds for Water Style jutsus. Essentially, it was a large trench with a rather large river passing through it. This was Hunter Squad Alpha's secondary training grounds, though most of their time was spent in either the Forest of Death or the Bloody Forest. This training area was called the Chasm of Screams, though nobody save the Hunter Squad knew why.

Well, Team Midget would soon find out also.

"Alright, kids. The point of this exercise is to be able to walk across the water using chakra. However, there is a special trick to the exercise itself. In order to stick to the top of the water, you must send a steady stream of chakra through your feet. If you use too much, you'll blow the water out from under your feet and fall in. If you don't send enough, you'll fall in anyways. Now, get started."

The trio of genin nodded, formed the ram seal, then dashed forward. Konohamaru put too much chakra in after taking two steps, caused a fountain of water to erupt from under his feet, then fell in. As soon as he rose from the water, he began to scream and yell about just how hot the water was. Udon made it about six steps before simply falling under, followed by screaming about how hot the water was. Moegi, however, made it halfway across the river before she began to lose her chakra-enhanced footing, then jumped to the other side by launching too much chakra to her feet at an angle.

The two males glared at their teacher, demanding why he never told them why the water was hot enough to cook a lobster. "Well, I figured it would give you some extra incentive to learn and master the exercise," was all he said before going to fish the duo out of the water. The three women giggled just loud enough so the three aspiring genin could hear. That was the same thing Anko told him the first time he fell into the boiling water and it did indeed work. As a matter of fact, what happened to Konohamaru happened to Saito quite a lot when they were learning to Water Walk.

Of course, when Saito was learning it, Anko practically demanded he do it on the female side of the hot springs, giving him an added amount of distraction in the form of his two female teammates and Tenten, who simply decided to go to add to the difficulty level. Naturally, Kurenai refused to do such a thing, claiming it was demeaning to their teamwork, but couldn't refuse the fact that even when Hinata and Anko stripped in front of him in the Chasm of Screams as he practiced that he did not lose focus once.

Of course, Shino was off training with his family....on Anko's orders during this time.

Progress was slow, but quickly improved. Once Konohamaru and Udon could make it halfway up the river, the young genin called it a night. When the trio groaned about continuing, Saito simply said that if they didn't rest completely and kept training, that they'd end up in the hospital with chakra exhaustion. "I'll tell you now from personal experience that chakra exhaustion sucks balls. For me, it always seems to start at my legs and works its way up, but I did hear a few cases about some jonin suffering from it and was on the brink of death after it started to feel like he was getting light headed."

The threat of death and hospital visits was enough to curb their training enthusiasm for now. The three genin and Haku waved farewell to the Konohamaru Corps and decided to return home, which would eventually lead them to showing Haku where they lived for now. Haku, in order to curb the villager's suspicion about why so many women were disappearing, would have to stay in his old apartment with Zabuza for five days out of the week, much like Hinata, though she only stayed with her clan for three days out of the entire month, constantly claiming that she was living with Kurenai most of the time so she could train with her longer while only coming to the Hyuuga Clan Estates only to practice her Jyuuken, which she purposefully lost to her younger sister, Hanabi.

A large brown hawk was circling the Hokage Tower, alerting all chunin and jonin that a meeting was being called by their leader himself.

It was time...for the Chunin Exams to begin.


	16. Welcome, Namikaze Clan: Chunin Exams Pt1

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it. I also do not own Inuyasha or Love Hina.**

Chapter Sixteen: Welcome, Namikaze Clan: Chunin Exams: Part One

A large brown hawk was circling the Hokage Tower, alerting all chunin and jonin that a meeting was being called by their leader himself.

It was time...for the Chunin Exams to begin.

**Hokage Tower**

It was a month away from the Chunin Exams were fully set to begin and the ninja in the village were busy trying to keep their walls secure from any kind of enemy forces that may try and enter the gates during this harried time. All of the jonin and chunin stood before their Hokage, awaiting the news about whether the Namikaze clan were coming back for the exams or not. The jonin teachers, including Anko, were all standing, ready to deliver their reports and either acceptance or denial of their teams to enter the Chunin Exams.

The Third cleared his throat as he lit his pipe. This was something he knew was customary and needed to be done quickly. "Alright," he mumbled, smoke gently flying from his mouth. "Team 7, Team 10, Hunter Squad Alpha? Do you wish to enter your squads into the Chunin Exams this year?"

Kakashi sighed, moving his little orange book back to his front breast pocket. "I, Kakashi Hatake, do hereby approve my team, consisting of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka, to enter the Chunin Exams."

Next up was Asuma Sarutobi, who briefly put his cigarette out before speaking again. "I, Asuma Sarutobi, do hereby approve of my squad, consisting of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chouji Akimichi, to enter the Chunin Exams."

Kurenai cleared her throat. "We, Kurenai Yuhi and Anko Miterashi, do hereby approve our squad, consisting of Saito Mazaki, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame, to enter the Chunin Exams."

Everyone in the room gasped in shock. All three of their rookie teams would be joining the Chunin Exams?! It was unheard of for any squad of rookies to join the exams after only being a team for a few months. Even Team Gai had decided to wait another year before entering the exams.

Without warning, someone else spoke out what most of them were thinking. "You can't do that," shouted chunin instructor to the rookies in question, Iruka Umino. "I've taught them everything they know just about and I know for sure that they aren't ready for the exams!"

"Calm down, Dolphin-kun," Anko said mockingly, causing the chunin in question to glare at her. "I know for sure that Saito-kun, Hinata-chan, and Shino-kun are ready to graduate again. Their teamwork is some of the best I've seen since I was a genin myself. If one of them, usually Saito, gets too far ahead of them, he'll take the time to help the others get back up to speed with him before going back and training again. Plus, it's a known fact that he not only recruited a missing ninja easily at jonin level for Konoha, but also a member of the extinct Ice bloodline that accompanied him. He also went out of his way to help Team Gai when one of their teammates got captured, resulting in Rin Inuzuka's return to Konoha as well as another woman, a swordswoman of the Shinmeiryu school of swordsmanship, by the name of Motoko Aoyama. Both of whom are incredibly strong, though a bit rusty in their fields of expertise. He even fought a Kumo jonin to rescue the captives, if his personal report is anything to go by. If he doesn't deserve to be a chunin after that, then none of the rookies do either."

Everyone was stunned. Nobody believed that the 'demon brat' could have possibly gotten strong enough to recruit a former member of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, much less three other powerhouses and beat a jonin in the process. Everyone looked to Kakashi, knowing his team went on the same mission as Anko and Kurenai's, only to see him look down in what appeared to be shame. Iruka looked down as well, though more out of embarrassment than anything the Copy Ninja was feeling.

"We know you care about them, Iruka, but you have to realize that they aren't little kids anymore. They've learned how to take care of themselves and each other. You've taught them to the best of your abilities. You should be proud their teachers believe them to be strong enough to enter the exams with a good chance at making chunin."

Kurenai's encouragement was all young Iruka needed before he bowed politely and left the scene.

Coughing a bit from a small bit of excess smoke, Sarutobi looked up again, gathering the attention of his higher ranked ninjas. "Alright. With the coming exams, security will need to be tightened. I've heard that we'll have squads from Iwa, Kumo, Kiri, Suna, and Uzu. It appears that Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze and her daughter, Kana, as well as two of her cousins will be one of the teams Uzu is sending." Kurenai, Anko, and a few of the other jonin who had gotten close to Saito glared at nobody in particular, knowing that this visit does not bode well for either of their countries if they discovered who Saito was and how he got his new appearance. "Suna, Iwa, and Kiri's teams are already here. Uzu's and Kumo's teams should get her in the next day or do. You have one week between now and the time the exams are set to start."

Everyone gasped yet again. "Why did they move the exams up by nearly a whole month," asked one of the chunin in the back.

"It's because Lady Kushina is the sensei of the team coming to the exams and asked us to move it forward. It doesn't help matters that her only daughter is on the team as well." Tsume released a fierce growl.

"Why are we letting her back after what she did," the feral-looking woman asked, her glare landing on the elderly leader. "I don't care if she was married to Yondaime-sama or that her bitch of a daughter is his only heiress. They abandoned not only us, but the one person Yondaime-sama had wished be seen as a hero for what he did for everyone!"

The Third raised his hands, motioning everyone to be quiet. "Yes, Tsume-sama. I agree that they shouldn't even be here, much less taking the exams in Konoha. However, it is the Fire Lord's will that they be allowed to participate and we cannot dispute his will."

"Do you know where they will be staying, Lord Hokage," asked a jonin located in the back, barely distinguishable from the other jonin around him.

The Third nodded before taking a puff from his pipe. "Yes. They will currently be staying at the Dragon's Root Hotel, as will most of our visiting teams. All of the visiting squads will be spending their stay in either the Dragon's Root Hotel, the Hidden Thorn Inn, and the Weeping Rose Inn."

Looking around, Hiruzen could immediately see the angered looks on Tsume's, Anko's, and Kurenai's faces. No doubt it was because Kushina abandoned Saito due to how close they had gotten over the years. Asuma seemed mildly perturbed, but it was probably because Saito and his team were entering the exams. For some reason, Asuma never liked Saito...probably because he held the Kyuubi within him and he barely hid it from the young man, even now that he had become a ninja.

Kakashi seemed overjoyed that his sensei's wife and his daughter were going to be here again. Maybe, if he were lucky, Kushina would allow him to teach her a few things her father taught him while his team was still together.

Most of the jonin were somewhere between angry and happy, though most preferred to keep their expressions neutral. Noticing the murmuring between the jonin decided it was best to dismiss them now to alert their teams and to allow them to train harder to prepare for the coming exams.

It didn't matter to him anymore than whether Orochimaru was going to confess to his crimes in Konoha in chakra-draining handcuffs or molesting a young boy in Kumo dressed in a straight jacket. It wasn't until the jonin and chunin left that another presence appeared that caused him to internally wish that his successor, the Fourth, was still alive and kicking.

"Hello, Hokage-sama," spoke a rather cold and monotonous voice that he simply wished he didn't have to hear again. Her red hair and green eyes stared coldly in front of her while her daughter looked up with a similar coldness.

"Hello, Kushina. I see you and your daughter are still alive." Sarutobi leveled his own glare at the young woman, memories of Saito's treatment in the village after she abandoned him left a large scar in his heart.

The redhead simply kept her light glare on him. "Enough chit-chat. Where is _he_?"

The Third chose to feign ignorance. "Where is who, Kushina? There are a great many men in the village, so it is quite hard to tell who you mean."

"Don't play with me, damn it! Where is Naruto Uzumaki! I know he's still alive! My bloodline has been keeping my daughter up all night with nightmares about him and I want to know where he is!"

Sarutobi kept his act of ignorance up. "My apologies. I cannot keep watch over every child in Konoha and I don't quite remember anyone by the name Naruto Uzumaki ever living within the village walls. Maybe you meant Nagato Uzumi. He's a jonin that I've been sending out to guard the occasional watch tower."

Kushina's rage seemed to reach a boiling point when she slammed her fist down on his hard oak desk. "Stop fucking with me, Old Man! You know damn well who I mean! Now tell me where he is!"

A few footsteps came from behind them, causing the duo to spin around in time to see a young, raven-haired man wearing a green and brown outfit and equipped with a bow, arrows, a kusari-gama, and a weapon's pouch on both thighs walk into the office. "Sorry for interrupting, Old Man. I'm done training Konohamaru-kun and his friends and I was just about to check up on whether Haku-hime, Motoko-chan, and Zabuza could possibly get instated as Konoha ninjas."

Sarutobi nodded with a kind smile, trying to keep the young man from discovering that these people were the mother and daughter that had abandoned him as a babe. Reaching into one of his drawers, he pulled out three headbands and tossed them to the young man, only to see the three objects wrapped up in his kusari-gama. The chained weapon was instantly wrapped around his body, wrapped around his left shoulder to his right hip, all around his body, the three headbands hanging by three different links directly next to one another.

"I see you've been keeping up on your training with the Kusari-gama, Saito-kun. You are probably the only person in Konoha's ninja forced to use such...irregular weapons with such a strange fighting style." Sarutobi's compliment was waved off with a disarming smile from the young Mazaki in question.

"Come on, Old Man. I'm Konoha's Number One Most Unconventional Hunter. Nobody, no matter how hard they trained, could even come close to being able to fight me on even grounds with my own weapons." He closed his eyes in a fox-like manner with a huge grin. "Even though I'm pretty damn awesome on my own, I doubt I'd be able to do half the stuff I do without Lee, Hinata, and Tenten by my side since I was little. Even Shino's helped me a lot since we've become a team. Not to mention Anko-Sensei's and Kurenai-Sensei's leadership and intense training."

Sarutobi chuckled out loud, though was interrupted by the older redhead, Kushina, clearing her throat to gather their attention. "Right. Saito Mazaki, this is Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze and her daughter, Kana. Kana, Kushina, this is Saito Mazaki, one of our strongest genin and quite the accomplished hunter-in-training."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Saito-san," said Kana, bowing politely while blushing rather profusely.

Saito raised his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Meh. I'm not too into formalities. Everyone around here calls me Saito," said the young man, grinning slightly at this point, "or Master Hunter-sama. I'll go for either." Sarutobi laughed as an elderly man would.

"You're still a little braggart, aren't you," he called only to get the young raven-haired boy to scoff.

"It's only bragging if it isn't true, Old Man."

"That is true enough, Saito-kun, but don't go telling everyone your secrets or you'll learn a lesson in humility."

"I'm only humble at church services, funerals, or promotions. So far, neither of those three are happening."

Again, Kushina cleared her throat...rather violently, I might add. "If this meeting is done, Hokage-sama, then I'll gladly take my daughter to our hotel room so that she and her teammates can properly prepare for the exams. I have no doubt that _he'll_ be there, if he's still alive."

"Of course. I'll have one of my ANBU escort you to your hotel." Before he could call one, Kushina waved her hand dismissively.

"There is no need, Hokage-sama. This young boy should do quite nicely as our escort. It seems my daughter is quite taken with him." She expected the boy to blush, but he simply closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Sorry. I'm already taken. I believe my fiancees would become quite cross with me if I were to simply date any woman that I choose. Besides, I have training to do for the Chunin Exams so I won't be able to accompany you both to your hotel," Saito said in a neutral tone, though his mind was far from where this...whore could think. _'I can't believe that Kana, my own sister, is attracted to me. She may not know I'm Naruto yet, but that's still too sick to even imagine! And this bitch dares to show her wretched face in Konoha after, not only abandoning me at birth, but fleeing to another country with my bastard father's techniques! I may not like him, but that doesn't give her free reign to take Konoha's 'greatest' Hokage's secret techniques to a possible enemy country!'_

"I doubt your...fiancees are anything compared to the Fourth Hokage's only heir," she said in a sultry tone.

"In fact, one of them is the current Hyuuga heiress and the other is a weapon smith's adopted daughter and the one who customized and forged all of my weapons. Besides, I've always felt that the First and Second Hokages were far greater than the Fourth. Aside from his two signature jutsus, defeating an army with them, and managing to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox into an innocent boy, he didn't do anything worthwhile." Why he said this, only he and the Third knew, was to intentionally piss off the Namikaze widow...and potentially her daughter.

"My husband/daddy was a great man," the duo said simultaneously, the red in their faces indicating anger rather than attraction.

"Saito-kun," said the Third Hokage with a growl, though it was only for appearances, "how do you know about the Kyuubi being sealed rather than killed, like others your age do?"

Saito scoffed, almost going as far as to laugh. "Come on, Old Man. Give me some credit. A giant beast composed of nothing but pure chakra battling a mortal man with only a few flashy tricks and managing to kill it when its wounds would most likely simply regenerate themselves before another could be inflicted? It is impossible. I admit...I was little when I saw it one day, but I came across this blond-haired baka, laying down in the middle of the fucking Forest of Death with wounds that would kill any mortal man, without a shirt or any kind of covering. I saw it briefly, but it was there for just about anyone passing by to see. A seal was forged on his gut. Intricate...and strange. I thought nothing of it and continued on my way to the apartment complex you allowed both Naruto and me to live at."

"To be honest," he said, taking a swig of water from his canteen before continuing, "I didn't think much about it until a few years ago when he was being torn to shreds by a group of villagers who tore out his eye with a kunai and tied him up with barbed wire. They called him demon, bastard fox, murderer. He woke up and, through the pain, he stared at them defiantly. I got so...pissed off at their stupidity that I made the connection between the seal, the story, and the reason why the village hated him. I knew the truth about what happened. Once I made that connection, I attacked with three kunai in each hand. I was trying to disable them, but they insisted on fighting back that it was inevitable that everyone died. I severed Naruto's bonds and brought him as close to the village as I could until I heard you and the ANBU coming."

"I laid him down softly before running away. I wanted nobody to think for one second I was part of the group trying to kill him. I saw him a few times at the hospital, unconscious. One day, before his body started to convulse, he spoke to me. He told me...to achieve his dream...of becoming this villages protector, even going as far as attaining Hokage, if I had to. I made a blood oath with him on his death bed. I left...and he died with a smile on his face."

Kushina's face was...neutral, though her mind was twisting and contorting about what Saito had just said. _'Could it be true? Could he truly have died? No. Kana and I keep having those dreams of him. He has to be alive somehow. If he is alive, Kana will end him and lay to rest my baby's soul. Then, and only then, will these wretched dreams stop plaguing us and peace will be restored to our family.'_

Outwardly, however, she simply said, "Thank you, Saito-san, for telling us this, though it simply raises more questions than answers. Best of wishes to you and your team in the exams. My daughter and her squad are not to be underestimated."

With that said, the two Namikaze women left, leaving Saito alone with Sarutobi and his hidden ANBU, the new Inu and Neko quietly appearing behind the elderly Hokage. As soon as the foreigners chakra signatures were far enough away, Saito's killing intent was unleashed without hesitation. "HOW DARE THAT BITCH AND HER DAUGHTER SHOW THEIR FACES IN KONOHA AFTER WHAT THEY'VE DONE," he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I spent almost thirteen years without family because of them. Ten years, of which, were filled with the kinds of things nightmares are made out of! I swear if I don't end up accidentally killing them before the exams, they are toast if they run into me!"

Inu quickly approached the angry young man quickly before wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her chest into his back. "You're so sexy when you're pissed, Saito-kun," she whispered in his ear before withdrawing momentarily from her sexual assault on the young man. Neko and the Third Hokage simply sweat dropped at the scene. Saito was about to spin around and shout at the young woman until his mind recalled that familiar, yet irritatingly sexy voice.

He still spun around, but instead, a surprised look was on his face. "Hana-chan? You took up Inu on ANBU?" For a moment, everything was quiet until his shocked expression turned into a semi-perverse grin. "I knew there was something sexy about you and I don't just mean that hot body of yours either. You were always so damn fierce and feisty! So much fuel for my fires to burn! You were always like Anko-chan except with a more primal feel to your aura."

Hana giggled as remembrance of their many times together. "I remember when you accidentally ran into the bathroom I was showering in after I screamed about seeing a spider. I think that was the first time you saw a woman completely nude. Even if it was an accident."

Saito gave a rather dark blush, followed closely by a grin of untold origin. "Oh my. I'd almost forgotten about that, Hana-chan. Thank you for reminding me. By the way, I'd like for you to meet my fiancees one day. Maybe, once I get chunin, you can join us."

The young feral woman pressed herself closer against his back with a devilish grin. "That sounds like fun, but don't you think your fiancees would have a problem with you marrying other women?"

As soon as those words were spoken, Saito pulled a copy of a book stating the rules and laws involved with creating a clan and being the only male with the bloodline still alive. "Clan Restoration Act. So long as I am the sole barer of a bloodline, which I am thanks to the Kyuubi and Kosuke-jiji, I must marry at least six women in order to propagate my clan and my bloodline. The way I see it, if I can have three more women, besides yourself, that I have fallen in love with accept my proposal, the village council will have less time to force me to marry someone they chose in order to turn my children into soulless, heartless, emotionless monsters, if Danzo had his way."

Hana momentarily jumped with joy at the prospect. "And, if the council ever decides to exile me, I will be allowed to bring my wives with me, regardless of whether they themselves come from a clan or not."

"Aww...is this your way of telling me you love me and want me to marry you after the chunin exams, when you get promoted," Hana cooed before briefly taking a nibble of his ear. "Of course I'll accept, so long as your first two fiancees accept me first. Who else did you have planned for this oh so delicious harem of yours?"

"Anko-chan, Kurenai-chan, and Zabuza's adopted daughter, Haku, of course." For the first time in a long time, he actually started to scratch the back of his head with his off hand. "The only thing is, how does a genin go about proposing to a pair of jonin, his teachers to boot, without attracting the attention of everyone around him, including his only male teammate?"

Sadly, Neko and the Third were standing in the corner of the room, forgotten, and either wondering whether the duo knew they were still there or thinking perverted little thoughts about what was being said. That being said, we all know the thoughts of our favorite Fire Shadow.

_'My. This sounds like Icha Icha Paradise: Konogawa Edition. Chapter five. Page eighty-two. Konogawa is trying to find the easiest way to tell the three women he proposed to about one another before finding out that they each agreed with one another, before the proposals, that they would share him. Except this is actually happening and it's six women instead of three. Three of whom are already best friends and the two he's currently engaged to knew him since he was a tyke running ANBU ragged with his pranks. The last one just met him on a mission and already seems quite smitten with him. Too bad Jiraya isn't here to copy this moment down for his next Icha Icha Paradise book. Well, then again...if Saito caught him and discovered who he was, he'd probably kill him before another one could be published. Please, Kami. Spare Jiraya until I'm dead. Then let Saito get a hold of him.'_

Yeah. I told you we all knew what he was thinking.

"Well, Anko-chan, Kurenai-chan, and I are the closest of girl friends. I'm sure I could relay the message to them for you...for the right price, of course." Saito turned his head slightly to the back with a knowing grin pasted on his rugged face.

"Does this price forbid penetration, Hana-chan," he asked without fear, causing the Third to get a massive nosebleed and fall into blissful unconsciousness with dreams that would make porn stars blush.

When she nodded, the two had disappeared, leaving only a dust cloud in their forms behind. Neko was blushing, though most of it was from embarrassment. Was everyone she knew a fucking pervert!? Kakashi was, by far, the third biggest, only trailing behind Sandaime-sama and Jiraya-sama. What made matters worse was that Hana was the one who proposed said perversion...to a boy just under half her age, no less!

At least her boyfriend, Gekko Hayate, wasn't a pervert, though that was probably because he was too sick to do much other than his standard Special Jonin duties and some light training.

**Some Random Training Ground**

Gekko Hayate was standing in front of a single training dummy, his sword ready to strike at his latest victim. As he charged forward, three identical copies of him split up and came at the dummy from the four cardinal directions. Once the blades struck, the three clones disappeared. Shortly after sheathing his sword, the training dummy fell into four equal pieces.

Sighing to himself, he coughed a couple of times before saying to himself, "Man, I've got to get laid."


	17. Deadly First Test: PAPERWORK!

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it. I also do not own Inuyasha or Love Hina.**

Chapter Seventeen: Deadly First Test: PAPERWORK!: Chunin Exams: Part Two

When she nodded, the two had disappeared, leaving only a dust cloud in their forms behind. Neko was blushing, though most of it was from embarrassment. Was everyone she knew a fucking pervert! Kakashi was, by far, the third biggest, only trailing behind Sandaime-sama and Jiraya-sama. What made matters worse was that Hana was the one who proposed said perversion...to a boy just under half her age, no less!

At least her boyfriend, Gekko Hayate, wasn't a pervert, though that was probably because he was too sick to do much other than his standard Special Jonin duties and some light training.

**Some Random Training Ground**

Gekko Hayate was standing in front of a single training dummy, his sword ready to strike at his latest victim. As he charged forward, three identical copies of him split up and came at the dummy from the four cardinal directions. Once the blades struck, the three clones disappeared. Shortly after sheathing his sword, the training dummy fell into four equal pieces.

Sighing to himself, he coughed a couple of times before saying to himself, "Man, I've got to get laid."

**Bloody Forest**

It was the start of a new day...and already Saito was entering their training grounds looking more pissed off than a short person in a Wide and Tall clothing shop. Kurenai and Anko already had a feeling they knew just why he was pissed off, but everyone else was clueless...save for Hinata, to whom he told everything leading up to his own mother and daughter meeting him for the first time and even asking him out on a date.

Hinata was later seen destroying trees throughout the entire training grounds.

Still, Shino was clueless as to what his teammates current problem was, but to be so angry that you immediately demolish a tree, revitalize it, then destroy it again before bringing it back to normal was odd for his captain.

"Well, now that everyone is here, Kurenai and I have something special to give you. Because you've all worked harder than most jonin we know, we've decided that you are all ready for the Chunin Exams. Because a team from Uzugakure is showing up, the exams are being held a week from now rather than next month, as expected."

The silence was choking, only broken by Kurenai speaking. "Now, for reasons beyond our control, it is imperative that we warn you. Your captain...has something he needs to tell you all before you enter the exams." Though he glared at her, she kept up her glance at him until he turned away, avoiding eye contact with anyone, preferring to keep his back to them so he won't have to see Shino's expression.

"Before I was Saito Mazaki, I was known as Naruto Uzumaki. This team coming from Uzu...consists of my younger sister, Kana, and two of her teammates, of whom I do not know anything about. They are being lead by their jonin-sensei, my mother, Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze. Technically, I'm the Fourth Hokage's first born child. On the day I was born, my father sealed away the demon that had been attacking us for hours, the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune. Two years ago, during a rather...traumatic moment, I discovered that my mother abandoned me after taking one look at me, taking Kana to Uzu to bring back the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans and essentially give birth to a new Uzugakure no Sato somewhere between Fire Country and Earth Country."

If Shino was expressing anything, nobody could tell. "I've...grown accustomed to the fact that she gave me up, as well as any rights to claim me as her son and bring me to Uzu also. I believe...though I'm not sure if my beliefs are true, but I believe that they have come in search of Naruto Uzumaki in order to kill me as some sort of revenge for taking her husband's life and taking the body of her 'deceased' son."

"Saito-koi," whispered Hinata, who didn't want to hear this speech again.

"If they find out who I am...who I was, then there is no doubt that they will do anything to get to me, to make me surrender to their will. I want you all to know...that from this point on, they will be our enemies. Even after the Chunin Exams are over, I cannot rest easy knowing that any one of the Civilian members of the Village Council would spread word of my true identity to them simply in hopes of being able to rid their hands of me. Simply because I contain the Kyuubi. So I'm going to give you all a chance. Due to a special law the Third made, revealing the fact that I contain the Kyuubi to anyone who doesn't know is punishable by death, I'm asking you as my closest friends and partners to take this secret to the grave. I know I'm asking a lot from you, Shino, and I can understand if you don't feel up to the challenge, but for the sake of not only myself, but Hinata, Tenten, and the other people in this village."

Shino looked around at his teammate and teachers, though the looks they gave caused him to see just how big a secret this is and just how much Saito trusted in him simply by telling him of the burden he bore for his entire life. He shook his head slightly before looking up at his team's captain. "Saito-taicho, I know how it feels to be misunderstood for that which is contained within us of which we had no way out. People fear my clan for the insects within us, thinking of us as freaks simply due to the things we contain and how we express ourselves. I'm honored that you could trust me with such information and I promise that I will not break that trust. I do have one question though. How come Hinata, Anko-sensei, and Kurenai-sensei knew about your burden before myself?"

Saito sighed in slight annoyance, though it wasn't directed at Shino so much as his question. "First of all, Anko-sensei and Kurenai-sensei knew long before I did because they were around when the Kyuubi struck. The reason Tenten and Hinata know is because...if the villagers saw me dating them or even doing anything they considered intimate to them, they would glare at her, calling them demon whores, and overpricing the goods they purchase at their stores, much like they treated me, though because Hinata is from a highly respected clan, despite being run by her shit stain of a father, Hiashi, my status would tear the clan apart from the inside out if they found out she was my fiancee. Until I can protect them from within the walls and outside of them, we cannot publicly be seen together unless its for team meetings, missions, or something else team related. That's why she often runs away to our little 'love shack', I guess you could call it, though it's just an old abandoned warehouse, for days, if not weeks at a time. I don't think I can even remember the last time she was home with her father and sister since we became a team."

Hinata giggled slightly. "It was the week before the mission, Saito-koi. While my father was angry at my long disappearance, much to my pleasure, Hanabi-chan was glad to see me, though it feels like she's getting colder to me the more she spends time with father training."

Saito and Kurenai both placed a soothing hand on the aching woman's shoulders. They both knew how things usually went at home, thus why she usually lived with Saito most of the month, only visiting her family for a few days, if ever, for months at a time. "Things will be better, my beloved. Don't worry. Once I clear chunin, I'll make our engagement official in front of Old Man Sarutobi and our closest friends, though I do suggest we don't invite Kiba, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, or any of the civilian council to the celebration. I'd hate for them to have come only to ruin it with their hate."

Hinata nodded in acceptance before hugging her future husband and giving him a chaste kiss. That was, until Saito started to sweat mildly and keep a goofy grin on his face. "Yeah. Something I wanted to tell you, I've got our fourth wife already lined up for you, Tenten, and Haku to agree upon. You remember Kiba's older...hotter sister, right?"

Everyone, save Shino, was chuckling, though Hinata was giggling with a bit of a blush and slightly bloody nose to show just how much she thought of the older woman. "Oh my. I do indeed remember her. It's quite hard to forget when she pressed her breasts against my back the last time we went to get the foxes and bats checked up."

Shino was completely lost by the conversation...until Saito spoke up a bit. "Speaking of wives, I think I know the perfect one for you, Shino-kun," said Saito with a devilish grin on his face, causing the young Aburame to shiver uncontrollably. "Of course, we'll have to break her off of that Uchiha bastard's dick...or lack there of, and show her just how good a catch you are for someone like her."

Shino's eyes widened to the point that his glasses were simply not covering his shocked expression. _'Please, Kami. Not her. Anyone but her!'_ Alas, I don't have the heart to tell him.

Luckily, Saito does and with little concern of the fear he placed in his comrade's heart. "Yep. I think you and Ino-san would be great together. She's a gardener...and your bond with insects could lead to a very...floral arrangement."

Everyone was silent. "Saito-koi?"

"Yes, dear?"

"No more puns or no sex for two weeks."

Saito's head fell dejectedly as he quickly found himself away from his team, a deep purple aura (not chakra) surrounded him. "Yes, dear."

Hinata glowed with a smile toward her fiancee. "Good." Before she could continue, she noticed that Shino was long gone. "Where's Shino?"

**Bloody Forest: Unknown Location**

Shino places his back against a tree, looking at his teammates for a moment before donning a brown fedora. Without another sound, a hidden hatch opens up on the tree, causing the young insect user to slide head-first into a hidden lair.

_Background Music..._

_Du Bi Du Bi Du Wa. Du Bi Du Bi Du Wa. Agent Shino!_

_**(Yeah. As much as I'd like for that to be real...or even relatively true, it isn't. BTW, I do not own Phinias and Ferb.)**_

Truthfully, Shino just hauled ass back home, dashing into his room before locking the door and placing his back to it. Sweat dripped freely from his brow and his complexion was rather pale...though he was always kinda pale. While he kept this secret close to his own heart, he did have a tiny crush on Ino back in their academy days. He'd often watch her working at her family's flower shop on his way home, though he made sure not to get caught doing so.

Now, he just wasn't sure how he felt about her anymore. They were never really friends, but neither of them really got to know one another because she thought the fact that his kikai bugs lived in him was kinda creepy and disgusting, though that could have been due to her ignorance about the process and how it benefited his clan, thus why they performed a bonding ceremony after their fifth birthday to this very day.

Shino shook his head to rid himself of the distracting thoughts before heading home to process all of this new information. Now only was there the fact that Saito Mazaki was really...or really used to be the knuckle-headed blond he knew as simply Naruto Uzumaki, but his family, both his mother and sister, came here to possibly hunt down Saito and kill him, though that would be easily avoided so long as nobody other than their team knew this information.

_'Maybe he can use that Genjutsu he used on Inari back in Wave to change their minds,'_ the young Aburame heir thought to himself, but then again, if Genjutsu were as subtle and influential as he often heard in class, his captain could inadvertantly kill them in his Genjutsu on accident simply because of the sheer amount of hatred he currently had for his remaining family. _'I hope he doesn't let this hate fester in him for long or else I fear he'd end up like Sasuke-san.'_

**(We all know nobody wants that to happen since Sasuke's always been a dumbass and overpowered because Kishimoto essentially broke him with power, only giving Naruto just enough strength and will power to survive. I will also try to change Kana's mind, but as far as I'm concerned, Kushina has had this hate of her 'deceased demon-possessed son' for too long that it will be almost impossible for Mazaki Forbidden Art: Rebirth of Forbidden Memories to be any kind of effective except maybe to place a seed of doubt in her mind that she's been doubting her husband's sealing skills and her own ability to see underneath the underneath to see that Saito, while no longer her son by blood standards, had been nothing but her son until his tenth birthday. I will try though, Muroshi. Don't worry.)**

Shino simply walked past his parents, a dazed and tired look on his face, before closing the door to his room and falling asleep. Never had he believed an Aburame could feel anything like this, but Saito showed him that, while cold and calculating, they still kept their emotions, whether they showed it to the world or not.

In the living room. Shibi and his wife, Katsumi, both look at their son's room, though neither of them tries to enter. Shibi was the first to speak. "So it seems as though Saito has told him about his burden and the fact that his birth mother and sister have shown up. I have never seen Shino so exhausted before in my life."

Katsumi sighed slightly. "I've known Saito since he was Naruto and I took care of him only when it was needed. Even now, I find it hard for me to imagine that he still even remotely cares for them. After abandoning him to live the hell his father forced upon him, I think that even I would almost beg for the chance to murder the people who were supposed to protect me."

Shibi showed no signs of emotion. "I understand his situation also, dearest Katsumi. It is why none in our clan hate him. Because he too holds something inside of him that affects so many people. It's why I respect him as much as I do. He truly is the hero his father wanted him to be. They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Maybe it's why Minato died sealing the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within his own son, in hopes that they'd see him as a hero and that he'd use its strength to protect Konoha."

"Even after everything the villagers had put him through, he still finds it in his heart to protect Konoha," said Katsumi, a single tear threatening to break itself from her left eye.

"No," said Shibi confidently, yet with a hint of revelation that saddened him somber. "I do not think he wishes to protect Konoha, but simply does it because Sandaime-sama is one of the first people to treat him with kindness and because he has his future wives to think about as well. If Hiruzen were to die, I have no doubt that Saito would either leave of his own volition or that the council, with their main obstacle cleared, would banish him unjustly."

Katsumi nodded in grim agreement, knowing that her husband's words rang true. It did sadden her that so many people wished him dead or gone simply for keeping their greatest fear from tearing them to shreds instantly.

It would be a sad day for Konoha when the village banished Saito...at least, for the lesser populace that treated him as a hero. The rest would quickly find themselves burning in the ninth level of hell for their transgressions and she only hoped that the Kyuubi or its successor would be there to watch them as they found out the hell they unleashed upon themselves. If only Minato knew what his wife, daughter, and the people of Konoha had done to his son...or what was left of him. He'd be rolling in his grave.

Alas, nothing else could have been done to prevent the change that the young boy went through, but he still had the hearts of his fiancees and the knowledge that not everyone in Konoha hated him for containing something that made their kikai bugs seem friendly. Right now, that was all that mattered.

**The Next Day....**

Saito, Tenten, Hinata, and Lee had all just finished breakfast in their little warehouse home. The bats were active, hunting down fresh fruits from the forest groves around the village and the foxes were hunting rabbits and mice in the alleyways, always escaping into one of the hidden tunnels whenever one of the villagers passed by. After they finished their breakfast, they quickly stretched themselves out to loosen themselves up before going out to train, whether on their own or with their teams. Tenten, deciding against training with Neji and Lee, decided to hang out with Saito and Hinata today, knowing that they were going to meet up with Konohamaru and his 'team' for a little bit of play and train.

As they passed by the village, they could see Sakura and Sasuke standing by the bridge, waiting for Kiba and Kakashi to make it to the team meeting. Of course, as soon as they were gone from the area, Kiba was barreling in, somehow finding himself unable to stop, thus flying over the bridge railing and into the shallow stream beneath it. Sakura laughed at the pathetic sight...only to end up laughing herself over the edge and into the stream too. Naturally, she tried to grab onto the only thing that could keep her from falling and embarrassing herself in front of Sasuke.

Sadly, that object was Sasuke...or rather his shorts. As she fell, the shorts did to, thus tripping him and bringing his 'family jewels' crashing hard onto the short stone column that held the railing up.

It was so damn funny that even Saito would have laughed, taken a picture to spread around the village, then pranked them endlessly until he couldn't breathe. Sadly, he was nowhere to be seen.

As they made their way into the village, the young trio of lovers spotted someone wearing a box that looked like a poorly made rock crawling toward them somehow humming the Metal Gear Solid theme song...at least, that was what it was before it inexplicably exploded rather violently in clouds of pink, blue, and yellow, though the yellow looked more like green than his former hair color.

Without even turning around, Saito stood in an 'at ease' position, waiting for his three 'genin' to stand before him at attention. He didn't have to wait long before the expected happened. "Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon," he said with a low growl. "You must still work on your disguises. Also, work on not humming as you are trying to stealthily approach someone. Aside from that, your entrance was way to flashy and you know how I hate flashy in battle. If you have time to show off, you have time to practice and do better!"

A silent giggle came from behind the trio of genin hopefuls, allowing them to gaze upon Haku's slender form. "I see your explanation of your team was not nearly as exaggerated as I believed it to be, Saito-kun." The trio of real genin smiled at the newcomer, motioning for her to come closer.

"Team Kitsune, this is one of the many women who shares my heart. Haku-hime, this is Konohamaru Sarutobi, the Third's true grandson, though he only wishes to be seen as Konohamaru, the team's muscle, and Moegi Utatane, Koharu Utatane's granddaughter, though she simply wishes to be seen as Moegi, the team's illusionist. Lastly, there is Udon Mitokado, Homura Mitokado's grandson. He too simply wishes to be seen as Udon, the team's tactical genius."

Haku blushed rather brightly when she saw Konohamaru and the rest of the team give her a salute and complimented her on becoming closer to their big brother. "Alright, guys. Since my team and Tenten-hime's team are back from our missions, we get to train you three for today." Team Kitsune shivered and backed away slowly. "That's right! Now drop and give me 50, maggots! After that, we'll run a couple of laps...around Konoha! Feel the burn of the Ultimate Hunter Workout! Just thank the gods that you're still to little to take on a full Ultimate Hunter Workout or else I'd be having you guys wearing one thousand pound weights!"

The trio of young 'ninja' dropped to the ground quickly before starting on their exercises. Moegi looked over at Konohamaru and glared at him half-heartedly. "Tell me again why he's our Captain, Konohamaru?"

Konohamaru had seconds to speak before losing the air in his lungs. "Because he's stronger than anyone I know...except for Grandpa and Uncle Asuma. He even beat up Ebisu-teme with a single jutsu, just like he did Grandpa a couple of times!"

"Right," said Moegi and Udon in agreement, knowing that this was true. They had personally seen the Third Hokage out like a light after a few of Saito's visits and they had all been witnesses to Ebisu's rather...buxom defeat after Saito used one of his most powerful...and juvenile jutsus, the Sexy Jutsu. If that was simply a fraction of his true strength, then he could likely be the best genin Konoha has ever had.

**A Week Later...**

All of the teams, by now, had been given the permission notes to fill out so they could enter the Chunin Exams. Team Seven was closer to leaving, if not for the huge crush Sakura Haruno had on Sasuke to begin with, she would have been too scared to consider joining. Kiba believed he was strong enough to take down anyone he came up against in the exams, thus signed his permission form. Sasuke, feeling the need to become more powerful and in hopes of attaining his Sharingan, also signed the form without a moment's hesitation.

Hunter Squad Alpha, however, had no need to reconsider their individual positions and immediately signed their forms, knowing that they could beat anyone in their way, though they were still slightly concerned with the Uzumaki team, knowing that they were a greatly unknown enemy, thus forcing them to take them seriously should they ever meet.

Team Ten, the Neo Ino-Shika-Cho team, also signed the forms, though Ino mostly did it because she believed Sasuke would be there and that she would get a chance to prove herself to him. Shikamaru knew that the rookie teams who entered, such as his own and those of his former classmates, had the worst odds of completing the exams. Chouji also knew that he most likely wouldn't become a chunin after these exams, though he agreed with Shikamaru that they would enter simply to get a feel for them, thus when they take them the next time around, they would be more prepared.

Team Gai, however, knew that they were ready for the exams, much like our favorite batch of hunters, and signed the formed readily, though Neji had an ulterior motive for his entry. Hiashi, the Hyuuga clan head, had told him that Hinata was joining her team in the exams. From what little he'd seen of her both around the village and in her spars with Hanabi, of which he didn't know she purposefully threw, he told her that she was weak and cowardly. He wanted him to humiliate her in the exams...to prove that she was weak in front of the entire village so they could have reason to give her the Caged Bird Seal, then banish her from the clan. In doing so, he would have his own seal removed and he would take her position as heir shortly after.

Neji kept this mission a secret from his team, knowing that they would simply pull out if they even remotely knew of his mission. Of course, Tenten had some idea about his constant absence from the team during the week they had to train for the first part. She immediately told her lovers and potential fiancees about the plot, warning them to keep an eye on Neji during the exams. Lee was told the same thing, knowing that he felt a kinship to Saito, thus making Hinata his unofficial sister. The two of them together still trained in Taijutsu, both combination and individual until they were satisfied with their progress.

After their week of training, all of the genin teams seemed to be assembling at their old Ninja Academy, heading to the third floor for the exams. Once Team Gai, Team Ten, and Hunter Squad Alpha were ready to walk upstairs, past the seemingly obvious genjutsu that captured so many people in its hidden web, Team Seven decided to...announce themselves....in the most retarded way possible.

"You can drop the genjutsu now. Everyone knows that this is only the second floor, not the third. Sakura, our Genjutsu specialist, was the first one to notice such a stupid illusion." The three teams, except for Ino, all had twitching eyes, though only Saito seemed to say something.

"Come on, Uchiha. You couldn't have just let them stay there until the first exam began? Honestly, if you fell for that genjutsu, you don't even deserve to be in the exams. Oh well. Thanks for bringing in all of those weaklings into the exams, Uchiha. Now it's only going to be more annoying than it would have been before." A few of the ones who successfully sneaked by the genjutsu almost glared at the raven avenger in question while others, like Sakura and Ino, sighed in acknowledgment of his 'power and strength', ignoring the glaring weakness in his mental stability.

Sasuke glared fiercely at Saito, knowing that he just let a bunch of weaklings into the opening exam in an attempt to show off his strength. Having the one he thought to be the weakest of their graduating class and the 'dead last' show him his own deficiencies was something he couldn't stand.

Even the team from Uzugakure seemed embarrassed that a simple genjutsu nearly caused them to fail, which caused them to agree with themselves to try harder on the first exam. It also caused Kana's crush on Saito to become that much greater than before. She swore that she would do everything in her power to get him to fall for her too. Her own mother also wished for the two to get closer so that, should they get married, their children would be incredibly powerful.

It didn't matter to her whether their children would grow up strong, at least, that was what she told herself. All that mattered was attaining the currently unattainable man known as Saito Mazaki.

As soon as the rookie teams entered, the volume of the voices within only seemed to increase. "SASUKE-KUN," cried out two identical screams from seemingly different areas.

One of those voices belonged to Ino Yamanaka, one of Sasuke's most die hard fan girls. As soon as she wrapped her arms around the uninterested young emo, her former friend, Sakura Haruno, screamed in defense of her Sasuke.

As the two argued over the emo, Saito had managed to keep his team from sight...until Kiba caught sight of Hinata.

"Hinata-chan," he called out, acting as friendly as he possibly could, knowing that one wrong move or word could spell out his literal ejection from the testing room. "I can't believe your team's entering the exams too!" From his peripheral vision, he could see Saito reaching for his Kusari-kama and barely heard the low growl that echoed from the hanyou hunter's throat. Luckily, Hinata managed to keep him in line so that blood wouldn't be spilled so soon into the exams. Unfortunately, she also wished the horny Inuzuka would do something, _anything,_ to draw her fiancee's wrath.

"I can't believe it," muttered Shikamaru Nara, one of their old classmates and closet genius. "All of our sensei's nominated us for the exams. Don't they know the fatality rate for the Chunin Exams alone is far beyond that of most B-Ranked missions?"

Saito scoffed before slapping his friend on the back, unaware of just how much strength he put into the affectionate gesture until the lazy genin genius almost fell to his knees. "Come on, Shikamaru! Where's your sense of adventure? Did you suddenly lose your spine trying to capture Tora or was it that you never had one?" Shika chuckled, though even that seemed to bring him into a sharp pain from where he was slapped.

"I keep my spine on the shogi and go boards," he said sarcastically to the confident hunter. "My sense of adventure was murdered by my mother."

Saito smiled amicably. "Just be glad for what you have, including the most troublesome people you know. A good friend once told me that you never truly know what you have until it's gone."

Hinata giggled as she remembered the exact circumstances involving the saying. Shino, however, was more vocal about it. "Didn't Anko-sensei say that only after she threatened to castrate you?"

Saito chuckled to himself, though out of embarrassment or the sheer comical aspect surrounding the threat, nobody could tell. "She only threatened to castrate me after she asked to see the jutsu I used when I was a brat to knock out Old Man Hokage and I complied. Besides, these jewels of mine have too many admirers to cut off. That and I kinda want a family one of these days."

The mood seemed to lighten up for a moment before someone immediately caused it to become heavy once again. "You guys may want to keep quiet. Some of the most dangerous and volatile genin have entered these exams and they've come from all over the Great Nations just to participate in hopes of knocking Konoha down a few pegs."

Saito's eyes flew to the speaker so quick that some people thought they would pop out from their resting place._ 'This bastard. He reeks of snakes and medicine. Just his scent alone makes me want to tear him apart.'_ Even now the smug bastard had on a grin that oozed maliciousness, though it was carefully hidden under a thin coating of kindness. Deep within his own mind, Kyuubi was screaming for him to end the serpent wretch's life right then and there. Despite the overwhelming feeling of her chakra coursing through his coils, he drew on his Koumori chakra in order to suppress the rampant red chakra that wished him to slaughter the white-haired ninja before him. His red eye was still tucked beneath his headband while only his violet-blue eye seemed to glow darkly for a moment before dying down.

"What the hell do you want," he asked in a harsh rugged tone as he glared at the nin briefly. "It's too much for me to have to deal with the know-it-all Uchiha. I'm already straining the limits of my patience so I think you should either get the fuck out of our way or say what you need to say before I end up throwing your ass out one of these conveniently placed windows and feeding you to some very hungry friends of mine out in the Forest of Death."

The man simply smiled, as though he was used to the threats by now, and simply waved him off. "Well, I'm just here to bring Konoha's rookies a little bit of help. You see, I'm a collector of information and I'd like to share some with you. You see, I've already gone through these exams seven times already, this one bring my eighth shot."

Saito and his team scoffed at the man. "Info trading is a deadly game you're playing, Kabuto. If you're not careful, spreading out the wrong info could get you killed."

Sakura decided to butt in at this point, having heard enough from Saito and his gang. "Shut up, baka. What would you know about how dangerous information trading is? This information could help Sasuke-kun become a chunin! I bet even with Kabuto-sempai's information, you're squad will still stay genin!"

Saito scoffed at the pinkette's ignorance. "Well, let me put this in perspective for you. In order to get information from any country, shinobi-related or not, you will have to sneak past dozens of ANBU level ninjas who are constantly guarding the information. If you get caught...well, if you're lucky, you'll die before you give up any information. For the kunoichi's, they face a fate worse than death. I've heard some kunoichi's who get caught get raped every day until they get the information they desire. If the kunoichi's from a clan with a bloodline, like the Uchiha, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Yamanaka, and Nara clans, they'll be forced to push out bloodline babies for the shinobi village of the country in question, forced to teach them how to control their bloodline and use it until the mother serves no more purpose. Sometimes they are kept simply as slaves for some of the higher ups while others are killed without a second thought. I should know. It's the fate my squad faces more than any other rookie squad save Shikamaru's, but even then, they have a far better chance of coming home relatively unharmed. With Hinata on our team, she's a far more worthy target than Ino or even yourself because of her clan's bloodline. That's why we train as hard as we do. So that all of us can protect one another and complete our job to the best of our abilities."

For a moment, Sakura and Ino didn't know whether to be shocked, disgusted, or thankful that neither of them would have to worry about the fate kunoichi's suffered should they be caught, but then again, he did just tell them that while simultaneously insulting them, practically telling them that no foreign ninja would even consider kidnapping them.

While the two girls stood there confused as to how to react to the comments of the hunter squad's captain, Kabuto merely shook his head negatively before continuing on with his speech. He pulled out a deck of several cards and flashed them in front of everyone's faces to get their attention. Naturally, Saito and his team paid little to no attention. "These are my Ninja Info cards. Simply by channeling my chakra into them, I can get any information on any ninja in these exams. Just say their names or describe them and I'll be able to pull up information on them."

Sasuke and Kiba both smirked before calling out the names of the competition simultaneously. "Rock Lee of Konoha, the redhead from Suna, and Saito Mazaki from Konoha."

Hearing their names simply made the two Konoha ninjas roll their eyes before they sat down in a seat near Tenten with Hinata and Shino at their sides. Lee sat next to Tenten, who was sitting next to Saito with a hand slowly making its way down to his 'staff of hugeness'. Hinata sat next to Saito as well, her hand coming incredibly close to its target, the same one Tenten was aiming for. Shino sat directly next to Hinata to ensure that Kiba wouldn't even have a chance to force himself onto her.

Kabuto chuckled to himself before drawing three cards with ease. "Alright. First up is Rock Lee of Konoha. His teammates are Neji Hyuuga and Tenten Mazaki." He was about to go to the next line before her last name lashed out at him. Maybe Saito and Tenten got married already, thus her name change. "It says here that his Taijutsu is Jonin level, but he lacks any skill in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. It also says he's one half of the infamous Nirvana Bros., a pair of 'brothers who used their skills to take down anyone who tried to bully them when they were younger. He's completed 72 D-Rank Missions, 6 C-Rank Missions, and recently an A-Rank Mission involving a slave trading group from Kumo that included several chunin level active duty ninjas."

Everyone around looked at Lee oddly before turning to Kabuto once more. "Since they're from the same village, I'll go with Saito Mazaki next. His teammates are Shino Aburame and Hinata Mazaki." His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he read his female teammates last name. "Hmm...Saito-san must be some kind of player to have married two women by his thirteenth birthday. Let's see. It also says his skills are all about Jonin level, though he tends to use Genjutsu, Long-Ranged Ninjutsu, and ranged fighting weapons more than his Taijutsu, which is about Jonin level as well, despite the fact that he rarely enters melee combat. His team has completed...*gasp*...21 D-Rank Missions, 25 C-Rank Missions, 9 B-Rank Missions, and 3 A-Rank Missions. He's also been noted in the Bingo Books under the nickname Blood Myst Kitsune due to his bloodline and his illusionary prowess and he is the second half of the team known as the Nirvana Brothers. He's also completed two A-Rank Missions and an S-Ranked Mission either solo or with ANBU members backing him up."

Cautiously, everyone, including the six rookies that graduated with the trio of hunters, looked over at the long-haired hunter captain of Hunter Squad Alpha in quiet fear. "Take a picture, shit stains. It'll last a hell of a lot longer than you will if you don't quit this bullshit in the next five seconds." Some of the people in the crowded room fainted either from his killing intent, which was practically choking them or applying so much pressure that it almost hurt to move, or simply because of his record and nickname.

Regardless, the threat worked and everyone turned away in fear of fatal retribution.

"Right. Remind me not to anger you, Mazaki-sama," Kabuto muttered, just slightly put off by the genin's killing intent. "Lastly we have Gaara of the Desert. His teammates are his siblings, Kabuto of the Desert and Temari of the Desert. While not as accomplished in missions as Mazaki-sama, Gaara has completed 5 D-Rank Missions, 18 C-Rank Missions, and 1 B-Rank Mission. It's said that he's never been injured on any of his missions."

That too got quite a few people scared. These exams were filled with freaks, some of the ninjas thought while others simply wondered whether attending the exams was even a good idea with all of the powerhouses attending. Before anyone could say another word, Kiba spoke up. "What about those Whirlpool ninjas? What do your cards say about them, Kabuto-sempai?"

Kabuto pulled three cards from his deck again before channeling chakra into them. They remained blank until the images came to after a few seconds. Before he could speak, Saito was the first to respond. "The redhead is Kana Uzumaki-Namikaze, daughter of Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze and our deceased Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze." Kana blushed slightly after having her crush introduce her to the crowd. Next he pointed out the tall, lanky young man with deep golden hair. "Next to her in the black sleeveless gi and black shinobi pants is Kotoju Namikaze, her oldest cousin and supposedly the strongest member of their group. The short one with the ninjato on his back is Kurokaze Uzumi, one of the branch members of the Uzumaki clan. Basically, he's the Neji Hyuuga of the Uzumaki clan, but only with swords than his fists. Their team is normally the team that ends up protecting the Fire Daimyo, thus earning them quite a few C-Rank Missions, and the rare B-Rank when a wanna-be assassin nuke ninja tries to take his life."

Kabuto immediately put away his info cards while looking at Saito with a smile. "My. How do you have such information when even my info cards didn't have nearly as much as you?"

Saito chuckled to himself. "I used to babysit the Daimyo's baby girl before I was even a genin. Lee would always pull off some acrobatic crap to make her laugh and occupy her while I ended up doing the dirty work like cleaning her diapers. Every week, the Daimyo would visit Konoha to talk to Hokage-sama for input into how the ninja forces were doing. He'd end up meeting with Old Man Hokage and ask if Lee and I could travel with him as part of his escort and to babysit his daughter while they were away on business trips, but we couldn't since it would be considered a mission by the Hokage, thus only a ninja could do it. I think the last time I saw Kagome-chan was the month before my third graduation exams."

The Whirlpool team was wide-eyed. No wonder the genin knew so much about them. He practically had the Daimyo's ear when it came to protecting his daughter. It also explained why Kagome would whine, moan, and complain about having 'uncool and unfunny guardians'. She's become so attached to Saito and Lee that anything else was simply boring in her eyes.

Of course, had Saito know who the trio were when he first heard of them...as well as had know that it was his mother's team, which included his sister, that was protecting them, then he'd have recommended a team from Konoha...or even Iwa! That was just how much he despised his family for abandoning him to die in the hell hole that is Konoha.

Naturally, he told himself that he'd try and rectify things with his sister, already having an idea that trying to reconnect with his mother was a lost cause. While he couldn't hate her, it didn't make him feel any more forgiving toward his 'last living family'.

Before anyone else could speak, the team from Sound, feeling unrecognized, lashed out at the information dealer, intent on giving him some information that everyone should know. As the steel-encased fist neared Kabuto, Saito launched an upwards kick at the weapon, sending it off course and releasing the built up sound which made quite the impression on the ceiling. Hinata struck next, using her improved Jyuuken to seal away a large portion of the mummified genin's chakra, allowing him just enough to keep him from straight up falling unconscious before Shino ended things by placing his insects on the Sound ninja's partners as well as on the mummy himself.

"In case you forgot, Sound team, these exams are considered neutral ground until permission is granted for fighting. Despite the fact that the dude you almost attacked is a smart ass know-it-all who's practically begging for a serious ass beating, it does not excuse your actions. If you try and attack anyone in these exams again, whether we're on good terms with their country or not, we will end your lives." Hearing everyone around them release a breath that even they didn't realize they were holding, the genin knew that they were...technically safe from any kind of attacks so long as the Hunter squad was around. "That goes for the rest of you too. I will not stand for anyone, enemy or no, to back out of the agreement they made by signing the Exam Waivers."

Now that all the commotion had died down, the proctor, a large burly man wearing a bandanna on his head and a trench coat similar to that of Anko's, showed up at the front of the room with numerous Chunin-level ninja wearing similar garb, though minus the trench coat. "Glad to see some teams in this room have an ounce of honor in their bodies. If anyone pulls a stunt like the Sound team did, they will be removed from these proceedings. Permanently. My name is Ibiki Morino and I'm going to be your proctor for the First Exam. I want all of you to come up here, one at a time, and pull a number from this jar. Depending on which number you pull will determine your seating arrangements."

It took nearly half an hour, but all of the numbers were passed out. Saito sat near the back of the room, at the highest point in the room they were in now. Seated next to him was Hinata to his left and Kana to his right. He swore to himself silently as soon as he realized that he was seated next to his sister who had a crush on him similar to the crush Sakura and Ino had on Sasuke.

"Alright. Now that you've been seated, you'll notice the piece of paper on your desk. That is the first exam. A written test. There are nine questions on the other side of that page. You will start off with a perfect score of ten points. For every question you get wrong, you will lose a point. For every time you are caught cheating, you will lose two points. When one of you get caught five times, you and your teams will be removed from continuing the exams. If, at the end of the exams, you have all of the answers wrong, you will be removed from the exams. I'll only give the last question at the forty-five minute mark. If you are unable to answer the last question, you and your teams will be removed from the exams. Am I clear?" Everyone nodded, though Saito, Shino, and Hinata has rather bored looks on their faces while others were scared shitless.

Near the front of the room, Sakura was praying nobody could smell the fact that she had just shit herself from the stress and killing intent.

"Good," Ibiki said with a cruel grin that made a great deal of the genin believe he was insane. "You're test starts now."

Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you see it, Saito was forced to keep his Blood Myst Eye hidden lest Kana ask questions about its origin, leading her to a possible conclusion that he was the 'demon who possessed her brother's body'. That did, however, allow him to use his Shadow and Darkness techniques as well as Genjutsu.

He knew that anybody worth their salt could detect and eliminate most of the Genjutsu in his arsenal, save for the ones he made specifically for his clan and in conjunction with his bloodline. For now, he would simply have to use his more discrete Shadow Jutsus. While most of his jutsus were rather large and...well, obvious to even a blind man, he had a limited amount of jutsus he could even use for the test.

That is...until he actually saw the test.

Now he was thanking any of his old teachers who tried to sabotage his chances at a ninja career as he laughed in their faces on their way to hell.

_'Good Inari-sama,'_ Saito thought to himself as his queries about his good luck running out seemed to have disappeared._ 'If those ass sniffers even knew how much their attempts at sabotaging my career are helping me right now, they'd be rolling in their graves in pain!'_

True to word, the exam he'd been dreading for the past few minutes...turned out to be the same exam he'd gotten during his first two years at the academy. The third was only under a Genjutsu because he'd come too damn close to a perfect score on the last test to be safe anymore. Besides, he'd always sucked at the illusionary art...until he came back from the hospital and some serious training. His pencil could barely keep up with the speeds that the hunter was writing at. From his peripheral vision, he could also see that Hinata was using her Byakugan to copy off of his paper while looking straight ahead.

Of course, he could have sworn he saw some blood coming out of her nose for a moment before she deactivated her infamous bloodline.

Shino was using his kikai bugs to find out the answers through Morse code and vibrations. They only needed fifteen minutes before their entire team was done and they had flipped over their papers to hide their results from anyone else who wished to cheat off of them. Ibiki was rather impressed with the trio of hunters, as well as the others who understood the meaning behind his words.

Then again, it was to be expected from the team who was trained by his partner in the interrogation unit.

Thirty minutes passed by very quickly with a couple of foreign teams being forced to drop out of the exams. As of now, only the Konoha teams, Suna's team, Sound's team, five teams from Kiri, and two teams from Kusa were sitting quietly, waiting for the last question.

Ibiki looked around, happy that so many teams were gone, but the amount of teams left was still too high. It was time...for the ultimate question.

"Alright, brats," he bellowed at the groups of scared, worried, and slightly excited teams, releasing more killing intent at them than he had the entire day. "It's time...for the tenth question. However, I've decided to...change things up a bit. As of now, if you fail to answer this question correctly, you will never be allowed to be promoted for as long as you live! I'm not a cold-hearted person, however, and have decided to give you a way out. If you give up now, I'll allow you to try again at the next exams."

"What the hell kind of rule is that," shouted Kiba, anger being the most evident emotion on his face. "If we fail, we'll never get promoted, but if we give up now, we'll be able to try again? There are tons of teams who have failed before and still got to try again!"

"Yeah," shouted Sakura, fear of failing her Sasuke-kun etched into every square inch of her face.

"Well that's just too bad. I'm in charge and my rules are law! I don't care if you've fucked the most girly boy on the face of the Elemental Nations, you will obey my laws!" The killing intent weighed them all down with a sense of foreboding, all save Saito and his squad. They simply looked bored out of their skulls to the point of being asleep. "So if you want to save yourself and your team the chance to graduate, you'll all drop out now!"

Not even seconds after that was said did the first hand raise itself into the air. It belonged to one of the teams from Kusa. Then, one of Kiri's teams raised their hands and dismissed themselves. Sakura and Ino both nearly raised their hands in defeat until Kiba slammed his fist into the table.

Apparently, his anger finally reached its boiling point and he just had to say something. "I don't give a damn about your rules! Nothing's going to stop me from becoming a Chunin!"

For what seemed like the first time since the test began, Saito opened his once closed eyes and yawned loud enough to gather everyone's attention. After looking around a moment with a bored look glazed on his face, the young man cocked his head to the side before blinking twice and speaking.

"Will you shut up, Kiba," Saito called out from sheer boredom as his gaze landed on the Inuzuka heir. "I'm trying to rest up for the serious portions of the exams."

Kiba glared at the hunter, shouting, "What the hell? You've been sleeping the whole time? I won't be surprised if you and your team fail simply because of your stupidity."

Saito mock glared at the brash Inuzuka, showing just how bored he was at the moment. "What ever. If this were something I was worried about, don't you think I'd have been the one to pull out a last minute cry to rally our friends and potential enemies to passing like you did just now? First Sas-gay practically invites anyone with ears who shouldn't even be in the exams to begin with into the first exam. Now you're bringing everyone who possibly would have forfeit into the second exams. Fifteen ryou says that Sakura will be responsible for the next time your squad to bring in people not even worthy of getting past the first round of testing."

"Taisho," Shino called out somewhat quietly, "only a fool would bet against you. We all know that your luck is the anti-thesis of Lady Tsunade's legendary bad luck."

Saito chuckled to himself. "No. Luck has no part in this bet. People who cannot control their emotions, like Sasuke, Kiba, and Sakura, are bound to do something to bring attention to themselves, thus ending up bringing our potential opponents to places that would make their worst nightmares seem tame."

This time, several other teams raised their hands and quickly left the room. When he saw that no more teams would be throwing themselves out of the running, Hunter Squad Alpha smiled to themselves. Ibiki, however, was smiling the widest. Only a squad trained by Anko Miterashi could possibly stand up against his intimidation tactics while subtly implanting the seed of fear into the hearts of the week in order to leave less competition for the next rounds. The remaining genin, which were now numbered in the mid-20s, remained determined to stay for the exam, though many of the foreign genin, save the Sand and Whirlpool teams dared to look at Saito's squad without images of their deaths flashing through their minds every few minutes.

Happy with the outcome and knowing that nobody else would be quitting, Ibiki cut off his minute range of killing intent, feeling the squad of hunters do the same shortly after, and addressed everyone. "Well, to those of you who stayed the course...," he said briefly with a pause for dramatic effect, "you pass."

Somewhat expected, both Kiba and Temari screamed out an echoing, "WHAT!"

Saito smirked to himself as Ibiki explained everything. "Well, as Chunin, some of you are going to be expected to lead a team of your own. If you have a wavering heart and doubt in the skills of you and your team, then you will die, in all likelihood. You will also be expected to gather intelligence from other shinobi nations. Some will be friendly while most others will either be neutral or an enemy. If your team is ever captured, the results will be....cruel and unbearable." At this point, he removed his bandana headband, revealing a bald scalp covered in scars that often overlapped others. "You must stay strong if you are to survive the torture they will likely put you through. Thus my rules. If you cheated poorly and got caught, in real life, you'd end up with scars like mine that will remind you of your failure for the rest of your life. If you gave up on a mission, knowing that you and your companions might never return alive, then you don't deserve the title of chunin."

Ibiki smiled to himself, though the others could sense a feral intent in the cruel smile before they noticed his eyes gazed down upon Saito Mazaki. "I can already see, without looking at your tests, those who will become legends in their shadow craft known to the world as the Shinobi Life. It is those very people that I have no doubts will get promoted in these exams."

Saito briefly nodded in acknowledgment before speaking to the man personally. "Thank you for those inspiring words, Ibiki-san. A leader is only as good as those he learns from as well as those on his or her squad. If shinobi can put their faith in their comrades in order to protect those precious to them, only then will they become true legends and truly strong."

One of the proctors to the side shifted in remembrance of those words she spoke to her crush during their mission to Wave. Since she spoke those words to him, he took them to a whole other level by teaching those precious to him the meaning of those words, giving her a deep sense of joy that she could have helped affect the hearts and minds of the future generation.

Even though he spoke those words with the deepest, most sincere regard he could muster, many of the shinobi around him rolled their eyes, believing that his outlook was a sign of weakness. Only his team, the team from Whirlpool, and Shikamaru's team, minus Ino, understood the words being spoken.

Ibiki was about to speak once again before a giant cleaver came crashing through the window. Splinters littered the area where the giant blade came smashing through until a lone shinobi suddenly appeared on the blade wearing his trademark uniform and an unmarked Konoha Headband.

Yes. This insane, yet powerful monster was known as Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Leaf. Despite the fact that their muscles and minds screamed at them to kill the traitor, the Mist team that remained stayed in their place. Zabuza glared at the entire group, as though he found them unworthy of the next test. His eyed seemed to soften when they landed on Saito's team, but hardened so fast that it seemed like he simply glared at the young genin himself longer than the others.

"Hmm. 24 teams left, Ibiki-san? Anko told me you'd have gotten them down to the single digits before, rendering my test unnecessary. Looks like you're losing your touch." Ibiki shrugged his shoulders slightly before looking toward his fellow proctor.

"Maybe we just have some extremely exceptional applicants, Zabuza. Besides, I already figured Anko would have warned you, so I wanted to leave some people for you to scare. After all, this is your first time as a proctor in the exams rather than its largest obstacle."

Zabuza sighed before glancing at the large group in sheer boredom. "Alright, brats. I expect your asses at Training Grounds 44 three days for now. Your jonin will be informed of the location."

With that, the genin left the room while the proctors gathered up the test sheets of the other students. As Ibiki approached Saito Mazaki's paper, he could immediately see the design of an ouroboros on the back of the tri-folded test. Upon opening it, he could make out the correct answers on the test, but underneath it was a message that sent a wave of fear down his spine.

'Ibiki-san,

I fear that Orochimaru has something planned for these exams. The Konoha genin, Kabuto, reeks of snakes. While this might not seem like much, he smells of them far stronger than Anko. Potential spy? Operative? I don't know. What I do know is that nobody has ever made me want to kill stronger than him and I've had to deal with the villager's crap.

Anyhow, I just wanted to keep you informed.

Saito Mazaki'


	18. Terrifying Second Test: SURVIVE!

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it. I also do not own Inuyasha or Love Hina.**

Chapter Eighteen: Terrifying Second Test: SURVIVE!: Chunin Exams: Part Two

With that, the genin left the room while the proctors gathered up the test sheets of the other students. As Ibiki approached Saito Mazaki's paper, he could immediately see the design of an ouroboros on the back of the tri-folded test. Upon opening it, he could make out the correct answers on the test, but underneath it was a message that sent a wave of fear down his spine.

'Ibiki-san,

I fear that Orochimaru has something planned for these exams. The Konoha genin, Kabuto, reeks of snakes. While this might not seem like much, he smells of them far stronger than Anko. Potential spy? Operative? I don't know. What I do know is that nobody has ever made me want to kill stronger than him and I've had to deal with the villager's crap.

Anyhow, I just wanted to keep you informed.

Saito Mazaki'

Ibiki thought to himself before folding up the paper and placing it in his pocket. He spun around to one of the proctors with an unreadable glare. "Haku-san, I'm going to pay a visit to Hokage-sama. Pick up the rest of the tests and have them at my desk in the next thirty minutes." Haku nodded and summoned several Ice Clones to collect the paperwork before heading down to secretly watch the second half of the exams.

**Forest of Death...**

As soon as the groups of genin gathered at the gates, Zabuza Momochi stood there, towering above everyone with a single scroll in each of his mighty hands, neither of them looking remotely similar to the others. "Alright! This is going to be a test of your ability to survive in extreme environments and your capacity for taking and obeying the orders you're given by your higher-ups. Each and every one of you pathetic lumps of flesh will be given a scroll to protect while trying to search out its sister scroll. In order to get this second scroll, you will be forced into combat with one or more of the teams you've met in the first exam. There are only a few rules for this match. Rule number one: NOBODY, under ANY circumstances, is to open the scroll or scrolls in your possession. Rule number two: If you get to the tower at the center of the forest, your goal point as it were, and you are missing so much as a single teammate, you will be disqualified immediately regardless of whether you got both scrolls or not."

By this time, half of the people were shaken and under incredible amounts of distress. Even the team from Mist was considering backing out, but managed to steel themselves and discuss various strategies. "As much as I hate this part of the exam, I must inform you that you will be required to submit to us your signature on this little contract saying that the Hidden Leaf Village is not responsible for your death. If I had it my way, you'd already be hacking away at one another with as little regard and warning as possible, but that's just the way I think things should be done. For every three waivers turned in, you will get your individual scroll. Get moving! I haven't got all day and I've been dying to kill some smart ass who would dare to talk back to me."

Apparently, he spotted Kiba and Sasuke about to make some witty barb because the duo shut up immediately after. Sakura was about to say something, but was shaken by another shot of Killing Intent from those who had already gotten sick of her voice. Team Emo was already starting off with a good foot forward. The moment everyone signed their waivers, the scrolls were distributed to the teams. Hunter Squad Alpha got an Earth Scroll. Team Emo got a Heaven Scroll. Team Ten got a Heaven Scroll. The team from Uzu got the Earth Scroll. The others were distributed evenly and fairly with nobody knowing what scroll ended up in which teams hands.

"Get ready! You have 120 hours in this forest. Five days to fend for yourselves. Open the gates!" The instant Zabuza shouted those words, the rusty gate doors creaked open until they were completely open. "GO!" The instant that all of the genin were in the forest, the gate doors shut quickly and firmly behind them. "Good luck and try not to die too soon."

**Hokage Tower...**

Ibiki stood at attention before his Hokage, the note from Saito already in his aged hands. The more he read, the more tired and old he felt. "If Saito-kun is correct about Kabuto, then that means that Orochimaru has some kind of objective and these exams allow him access to it. We must prepare. I doubt Orochimaru is foolish enough to believe he can destroy the Hidden Leaf Village alone, meaning he most likely has some help from another hidden village participating in the exams. Alert all ANBU, Jonin, and Chunin not attending the exams about this new development. We must prepare for anything."

Ibiki nodded and disappeared in a shunshin. Sarutobi pulled a pipe from his desk and began to smoke it slowly, contemplating on the newest update. _'What evil could you possibly be planning now, my wayward student? What reason could you have to appear in this village once mo__re?'_

**Forest of Death: Hunter Squad Alpha...**

As soon as their gate opened, the young trio raced through the forest as silently as the hunters they had become. Their eyes were cold as they tracked their prey: the team from the Hidden Mist Village. Thanks to Shino's kikai bugs and Hinata's Byakugan, they avoided every trap laid out to catch some poor, unsuspecting idiots to take their scroll. It didn't take long before they snuck up behind the poor Mist team.

For a moment, everything was quiet as the trio argued about how their trap should be set up. One wanted a huge genjutsu to confuse their targets. Another wanted a three-way ninjutsu to snare their opponents. The last just wanted to beat the crap out of whoever showed up first. Before anyone could tell what happened, Team Namikaze showed up with their weapons drawn. Kana looked at the trio of Mist ninjas and pointed her sword at them.

"Hand over your scroll or die," she said coldly. Saito was busy silently smacking his forehead into the tree he was hiding in. Hinata wanted to beat the ever living hell out of Kana for thinking about asking Saito out. Shino…sweat dropped.

"Taicho," Shino said in a dull whisper, "are you sure you're related to those three? They act nothing like you."

"Inari damn them," Saito mumbled under his breath. "Those idiots don't even know what the hell they are doing. They don't even know their opponents, but they decided to show up and just threaten them."

"That was our prey. Not theirs," Hinata growled as she glared at Kana. Thankfully, or not so much, looks can't kill so Kana was safe…for now.

Saito sighed. "Screw this. Let's go after that team from Sound. They should be some challenge and Kana's team should be too busy to interrupt our hunt this time."

With a nod from his teammates, the trio jumped away shortly before Kana's team began their attack. Somehow, Kana's team managed to beat the team with a few bruises and scrapes, getting the scroll they needed.

As the trip launched themselves toward their newest prey, the screams of other genin teams falling to the forest managed to reach their ears. Despite this, it didn't bother them. If anything, it made them renew their efforts in hunting down the Sound team. They were moments away from them when they heard a scream that sounded eerily like Sasuke followed by another scream that was unmistakably matched to Sakura. Though he really wanted to see what kind of ass beating Team Emo had gotten or was getting, they had to get a scroll soon. Sadly, it was getting far to dark for them to do anything tonight, forcing them to make camp.

Saito was wide awake while his teammates slept. A stone in his hand helped him in sharpening his Kusari-gama as the hours passed. He was in the middle of meditation when a tainted feeling made its presence known followed by two much weaker presences. Without warning, Saito launched his Kurari-gama at the direction of the intruders, earning him a startled gasp and a loud shout of 'HEY'. Hinata and Shino woke up quickly and moved to their team captain's side as his closed eyes refused to move. Hinata had drawn her tonfa and Shino drew upon his naginata from the seal on his arm. The naginata oddly resembled the Kubikiri Houcho Zabuza possessed, though the blade was slightly shorter and the handle was long and hollow, making it capable of holding his kikai insects.

"Hold up there, guys," called out a rather irritating voice that was quickly identified as Kiba. "We've come bearing an injured comrade."

"Sasuke is no comrade, Kiba. He's a virus," called out Saito. "He won't stop until he's achieved his 'ambition' and infected as many women as he can with his vile, infected sperm just to bring back his viral clan and the Sharingan, a virus which I'm glad has nearly been wiped off the face of this earth."

"You don't understand! This guy, Orochi-something, bit Sasuke and left some kind of weird mark on his neck!" Saito growled.

"Then not only is he a virus, but he's been tainted as well." Saito pulled back his weapon to allow Sakura, Sasuke, and Kiba into their camp. "If you had any sense at all, you'd have killed him by now. Orochimaru's tainted mark and his words will continue to plague him until he eventually betrays the village."

Sakura stood tall and glared at Saito. "Sasuke-kun wouldn't do that?"

Saito rolled his eyes. "Fine. Don't believe me, but heed my words. He will betray you one day. When he does, don't come looking for me, hoping that I'll bring him back unscathed. If I find out he's left this village, then I'll bring him back, but it will be in a body bag."

Without any kind of sign, Saito simply disappeared from sight, leaving Hinata and Shino with Team Emo. By now, Kiba knew better than to hit on Hinata while Shino was around. Word would travel back to Saito and then he'd be in a huge bag of shit with no way out. Both he and Sasuke were pointed to an open crook in a tree where there was enough shade to keep them well hidden, but not too well shaded to hide from Hunter Squad Alpha. Sakura huffed and decided to wait by the fire until Saito got back.

Nobody noticed a bat fly out from the forest.

**Hokage Tower...**

As the Third sat at his desk, smoking his pipe, the thoughts that Orochimaru was in Konoha in disguise had him worried. What could he be doing here? It wasn't until a tiny bat flew in through the window, dropping a tiny scroll on the table did he think any further about it. Unfurling the scroll, he sees the few words that could have unraveled the entire mystery. Dropping the scroll, he runs through his door toward ANBU headquarters.

The scroll on the ground spoke volumes...

….'SASUKE UCHIHA HAS BEEN MARKED BY OROCHIMARU'

**Forest of Death...**

It didn't take long for Saito to get back from whatever it was that he was doing. On his back was a huge tuna fish, the size of which rivaled that of a baby whale. Sakura and Kiba were stunned the moment he pinned the fish to the trunk of the tree with only senbon. While it wasn't a rare occurrence to see Saito bring back some food, even Hinata and Shino were somewhat frozen by the size of the meal.

"You should know that we're only eating a small chunk of that thing. The rest will be sealed into a scroll for later consumption." Hinata and Shino nodded, but Sakura and Kiba looked mildly confused. "Sealing something in a scroll acts as a preservation method. With no wind to oxidize the food and no bacteria to make it rot, sealing it would essentially make sure it is still edible for future missions."

Shino, without signal, marched toward the towering pile of fish and slashed at its head once, causing it to fall to the ground with a sickening thud followed by a fair bit of blood and entrails. With another slash, he sliced off a thin strip of fish that would be enough for both teams. The remaining members of Team Emo were stunned by the ease with which Shino carried the hefty blade as it cut through the wind, but more devastated by the power behind it. To decapitate a fish with a single blow meant that Shino was not the person to be messed with anymore.

"Good work, Shino. Now to seal the rest away." Pulling out a blank scroll he took the paper and scribbled something in ink before placing it on the fish and channeling a little bit of chakra. With a poof of smoke, Saito had successfully sealed away the giant fish. "Alright. Now...we cook it and wait for the virus to wake up."

"Sasuke-kun is not a virus," shouted Sakura in all her fury. Hinata glanced at her with a bored look in her eye.

"Be quiet, Haruno. Everyone knows that the path Sasuke has taken will lead to his own death, but all they do is encourage his vile behavior. He sees everyone as stepping stones on his way to power. If he believed killing you and Kiba would make him more powerful, he would do so in a heartbeat and without hesitation." Hinata spun around just in time to spot a squirrel with an explosive note attached to its back before sending a kunai into its head and disposing of the deadly note with practiced ease. Walking over to the dead squirrel, she examined it before tossing it to the side. "Too young."

Saito, having seen everything for himself, immediately went into a steady meditation. Releasing a minute amount of yokai, he focused on the squirrel and the chakra trail the explosive note left behind. "It seems as though our quarry has finally arrived."

It was only seconds after those words had been said that the Sound team dropped down to the ground. "Where's the Uchiha," demanded the mummified genin with a metal plate on his arm.

"Maybe he's busy sticking his dick in your ass," mocked Hinata which caused Shino and Saito to chuckle while infuriating the Sound squad.

"We have orders to kill him and him alone. If you bring us to him, we may decide to spare your lives." Saito was the only one who laughed.

"Seriously? Believe me. If I could get away with it, I would have ended the pathetic virus myself long before now. Sadly, the council would get onto my team's ass about why the 'Last Loyal Uchiha' died in our camp. It's a long and complicated story, but I'm afraid we can't take you up on your kind offer. However, I have a counter-offer that you won't be able to refuse. Give us your scroll and leave now...or I will end you in the slowest, most painful way imaginable." Even with a smile on his face, his Killing Intent was making quick work of their will to live.

"We have our orders and nobody, not even you, will stop us from completing our mission," said the mummy before bringing his metallic arm in front of him while his female partner lifted a handful of senbon and the other male brought his palms to face them, showing off a pair of holes he most likely used in conjunction with his ninjutsu.

"Then we've come to an impasse. We refuse to release the virus for you to kill and you refuse to back down, knowing that we will end you in the bloodiest way I can think of." Saito looked around, sensing several teams as they hid in the trees and bushes. "Shino. How long would it take you to demolish these three by yourself?"

Shino seemed to size up his competition and his calculating mind was put to work. "To be honest, I'd say about three minutes. Give or take a few minutes depending on their specialties." Saito sighed to himself. That was a good estimation for an unknown enemy.

"Alright. Let's say the female is a genjutsu type fighter, the male with holes in his hands is a ninjutsu type fighter, and the mummy is a taijutsu fighter. How long do you think it would take you to demolish them now?"

"If I take out the female first, it would take me less than three minutes, but if I remove the taijutsu fighter first, it could take me up to five." Saito nodded to himself, though the Sound genin were either laughing at the thought of being beaten so quickly or in fear that this team was their greatest competition.

"That sounds fair enough. I'll let you take care of them. If you feel yourself getting tired, just tag me in and I'll deal with them." Shino bowed slightly to Saito.

"Thank you, Squad Leader." Shino turned back around to the Sound team before hoisting the naginata on his shoulder. "You three should know...that I'm the weakest member of the team. You should be glad that it isn't Saito-sama that has to deal with you or none of you would possibly survive. I'll make this as quick and painless as possible, but there are no guarantees in our line of work."

Just before the mummy could retort, a shriek came from the female member of their team, causing them to turn around and see that the blunt end of his weapon was buried deep within her abdomen. Once again, Shino disappeared from sight and the two conscious members were quickly becoming worried. "I'm afraid that you just aren't good enough to catch me, Sound genin. Sadly, enjoying this hunt has already left me. There is no sport in hunting those who don't stand a chance."

"I'll show you sport, you freak! Decapitating Airwaves," shouted the genin with holes in his hands. The ninjutsu rushed into the trees, destroying a few of the tree tops, but there was no blood to be seen.

"Even now, you can't catch me with any kind of attack. I'm afraid I must end this farce." Without a sound, Shino showed up between the two and gave a circular slash to his two opponents, delivering a heavy wound to the mummy's back and his other male partner's chest. Blood poured from the wounds freely and the two conscious Sound ninjas were already finding it harder to stand up and their heads began to feel lighter. "Those wounds, though they bleed quite a bit, were shallow. You'll survive." With that said, the bug user began walking back to his team, the onlookers stunned that the quiet young man from their genin days had become so hardened and cold.

"Good job, Shino. Your swordsmanship is exemplary, as I had suspected." With a short bow to his superior, Shino turned around as their team looked down upon the trio of Sound ninjas. "I suggest you reconsider my proposal. Give us your scroll and we will let you leave these woods with your lives. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll be your next opponent and I won't stop at such shallow wounds."

The mummy-looking ninja reached into his pocket before throwing them their Heaven scroll. With a chakra string, Saito latched onto it before yanking it back until it landed hard in the palm of his hand. "Thank you. Now scurry back to your master and tell him that your mission was a failure before I decide to change my mind about ending you right here and now." The male duo turned around and picked up their other teammate before the mummy-looking ninja turned around.

"My name is Dosu Kinuta. My teammates are Kin Tsuchi and Zaku Abumi. The next time you see us, you'll be begging us to end your miserable lives." Saito scoffed before launching his kusari-gama to inflict a glancing blow on Dosu's cheek before retracting it.

"Next time, I won't miss on purpose. Now leave." The trio of genin hobbled away, muttering words of revenge on their way back to their camp site. "Now...as for the rest of you, I suggest you either get your other scroll or head to the tower before considering attacking us head on like those guys did." With a nod to his teammates, they began to pack up their camp site...until this feeling of vile chakra reached their finely tunes senses.

"This," growled a voice that none of them were hoping to hear. "This is the power I've been looking for! I feel invincible!" Saito glanced at Sasuke's form as he rose from his slumber in the tree. His skin was covered in black marks and his eyes had gained a bloodthirsty look as well as the first level of Sharingan.

"Inari damn it to hell," Saito whispered to himself. This action gained the transformed Sasuke's attention as he grinned rather sadistically at the young hunter.

"You'll be the first to fall to this new power, dobe," cried Sasuke as he rushed Saito's prone form. Hinata and Shino drew their weapon, but the young hanyou raised a single hand to stop them.

"Don't. I've got this under control." He showed a single hand sign and everything seemed to change. Without warning, Sasuke launched a punch at Saito's prone form...only to watch it pass through it. "I've had enough of you to last a lifetime, you walking fucking parasite. It's time I show you just how strong I really am." Sasuke, frozen the moment his fist passed through his target, quickly felt a knee force itself into his gut, but nobody could see who or what had done it. A kick to his jaw launched him into the air, but that was all about to change. The moment he was at the optimal height, Saito appeared, covered in a purple haze of chakra as he grabbed onto Sasuke's legs before spinning him around until a purple circle appeared.

"Taste the power of the shadows! Mazaki Taijutsu Art: Seismic Toss Combo: Mach 4!" When he released the spinning Uchiha's legs, said human projectile continued to spin at unseen speeds until his body hit ground. The earth beneath them shook from the sheer impact and a huge crater formed below. As soon as the dust cleared, everyone could see that Sasuke had fallen into blissful unconsciousness and the marks on his body continued to recede into the mark on his shoulder until his pale skin was back to normal. The instant he landed, Saito used the ram seal once again and a small crater formed beneath him. "Be glad that I can't end you or else your blood would be staining the ground right now. Hunter Squad Alpha! Move out!"

With that said, the trio of genin launched themselves toward the tower, their twin scrolls already in hand, leaving Team Emo, Team Ten, Team Nine, and Kabuto's team in their wake.

Team Ten was the first group to come out of hiding, all three of them stunned by the sheer amount of power Saito and Shino alone displayed. Shino's own remark about him being the weakest member of the team also left a foul taste in their mouths. Shikamaru seemed to be the first to come out of his shock. "Well, I guess my threat assessment on the teams was correct after all, Ino. Troublesome. I can't believe they've become the strongest team out of the nine of us to graduate this year...and to take down Sasuke when his chakra output was dwarfing our own chakra makes me wonder whether or not the information on Kabuto's cards was correct after all."

"I can't believe he just tore into Sasuke-kun so quickly and ended the match just like he did back in the academy. I didn't think he could use the Clone Jutsu to create so few clones since it always seemed to be his weakness."

"That wasn't the Clone Jutsu, Ino," mumbled Shikamaru. "There was no chakra output from him until the final blow. I've heard of some taijutsu masters who were so fast that they could create afterimages, but I never thought they were remotely true. How did Saito get so fast...and so strong since we graduated?"

"Maybe," called out Choji, who pulled out a fresh bag of chips and began to munch on them, "he trained a lot...you know? I mean, if he trained non-stop since we graduated, it's possible he's strong enough to be a chunin by now. Maybe even jonin with his mission experience."

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru once again before nodding to himself. "Maybe, but he hasn't shown us everything he's capable of. We need to keep our eyes on the three of them. As it stands, I doubt any of us would stand a chance in a fight against any one of those three."'

Ino wanted to scoff at the idea, but after seeing that performance, she had more doubts crowding her head already. "Come on. We have both scrolls and Sasuke-kun's not in danger anymore. We need to get to the tower too."

With a nod from her two teammates, they began their trek to the tower, knowing that another deadly test might loom before them.

A few days later, Team Emo would be seen traveling to the tower. Both teams having managed to gather enough scrolls to allow them passage to the tower.

The moment Hunter Squad was in the tower, They unfurled the scrolls and placed them in the center of the room. After a few seconds, a puff of smoke appeared and when it dissipated, Anko Miterashi stood there, a proud smile on her face before she charged her three genin and wrapped them up in a hug. "I'm so proud of you three for making it here so early! You're the first team ever to make it back in less than a day in the history of Konoha's Chunin Exams!"

"Thank you, Anko-sensei," said Shino with a grunt as he fought the urge to struggle against his teacher's bone-crushing hug. Saito had no such urges as his head was wedged firmly in her large, squishy bust. "If you could please release us. I believe Hinata-san and Saito-sama are about to pass out."

Anko looked down and saw that Hinata's face was beginning to turn blue with a nosebleed while their Squad Leader seemed to have stopped moving his head from between her sizable breasts. She did release Shino and Hinata, but wrapped her arms around Saito's head even more, causing Shino to sweat drop and Hinata to pout. "Saito-chan's going to be just fine, Shino. He's just playing dead!"

"Or you've suffocated him with your boobs again, Anko-sensei," grumbled Hinata, though only Anko could hear her. This wouldn't have been the first time she suffocated him this way. Anko cocked her head to the side before pulling Saito's head from her bust. He looked as though he'd suffocated, but the blood leaking out of his nose gave her the idea that he passed out with naughty thoughts in his head just before he suffocated.

With a pout, she delivered a punch to his gut, forcing him to regain his breath and the blood on his nose to disappear without a trace. "Alright. Now that you three are back, you can head up to your room and prepare for the next test."

"Got it, Anko-sensei," called out Saito. Hinata and Shino walked through the passage and toward their room, but before the young leader could, Anko grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Saito-kun," she said in a rather serious tone, despite the fact that she was whispering to him. "Was Hana-chan telling me the truth? Do you really want to propose to Kure-hime and I?" Saito swallowed the lump in his throat before turning around, a serious smile on his face.

"Of course. I really do care a lot for you both. You and I...we've lived similar lives, Anko-hime, but that isn't the whole reason why I want to marry you. You take my breath away when you show one of your real smiles instead of that hollow sadistic smile you carry around with you. You're intelligent, beautiful, and someone who deserves to find happiness after all the hell you've been through. The same thing goes for Kurenai-hime. You both have such opposing qualities about you, but it never clashes. Rather, you both seem to have feelings for each other beyond that of just comrades. Kurenai's just so gentle, kind-hearted, and mysterious that it drew my attention."

Saito chuckled to himself slightly. "I guess you could say I fell in love with you both the moment I first saw you, but was just too stupid to realize it until now. I want you, Kurenai-hime, Hana-hime, Haku-chan, Hinata-hime, and Tenten-hime to be the ones I spend my life with. I just didn't want to say anything because it would have effected our teamwork and it would be illegal for a genin student to find him/herself romantically involved with his jonin instructors. It's why I'm waiting to reach Chunin to pop the question. That way, those bastards on the council will have nothing to say against it if and when they find out and, in the case I get banished from the village, I can bring my wives with me, whether they come from a clan or not."

Everything around the duo was silent. Saito didn't want to look into Anko's eyes because he feared her rejection. After a few moments, she cleared her throat. "Saito-kun."

He looked up, but was unprepared for her lips to suddenly crash into his own. After a brief battle of the tongues, the two separated and he looked into her bloodshot eyes as tears slowly streamed down her cheeks. "I would be honored...to marry a man as kind and loving as you and I know that Kure-hime would be just as honored as I am."

For a moment, everything became still and time seemed to freeze. "I...I have one more thing to tell you...before we get any further. That mark Orochimaru gave you...is a bastardized version of a demonic mating mark. If I am to mark you, I must place it directly over his mark. There, my own soul and the piece of his...will do combat to see just which one of our marks you shall carry. If I win, his mark will be permanently removed and he will feel every blow and ounce of pain I deliver unto his soul. If he wins, however, the mark may take over and you will be bound to him...for as long as he lives. I have to ask you, before I consider marking you...are you prepared to take that risk, my beautiful Poison Ivy?"

Anko thought about it. There was little doubt in her mind that Saito could overpower Orochimaru's soul, but the Snake Sannin was still quite powerful and the chance that she would be bound to him so long as he survived made things that much harder for her to choose. It was a brief moment before she nodded. "Alright. You can do it, but not now. Old Man Sarutobi told every chunin, jonin, and ANBU that the Snake Bastard was here and that he marked the Uchiha brat with a completed Curse Seal of Heaven. If we can wait until after whatever he has planned has happened, then you can do it when we're out of the danger zone. I believe in you, Saito-kun."

Saito nodded before engaging her in a war of tongues once again, though they both separated after a few more moments. "Come now, Anko-hime. Our teammates await our return to the room and I have a report to deliver to Old Man Hokage."

The duo walked through the door, their hands hidden from view as their fingers intertwined with one another as they marched toward their team's recovery room...where the Hokage was waiting for them.

A pair of fully evolved Sharingan Eyes watched the two as they walked past him, a jovial look hidden in the deadly eyes and a happy smile hidden behind a carefully placed genjutsu. Soon, he would lift the genjutsu from his mother and he would meet up with his beloved Snow Queen.

"Soon, Koyuki-hime. Soon we shall be together once more, but until then, keep your memories of me alive and pray for my safety." His hand slipped an unseen note into the pocket of the hanyou hunter before he walked off...past the various teams of genin as they marched toward their room.


	19. Ravaging Third Test: MORTAL COMBAT!

**Rebirth of a Ninja**

**By: Rave Rose of Twilight**

**Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own some ideas such as his bloodline and any original characters within my fiction. I do not own Loveless from Final Fantasy 7. I simply added it because I liked it. I also do not own Inuyasha or Love Hina.**

Chapter Nineteen: Ravaging Third Test: MORTAL COMBAT!: Chunin Exams: Preliminaries

A pair of fully evolved Sharingan Eyes watched the two as they walked past him, a jovial look hidden in the deadly eyes and a happy smile hidden behind a carefully placed genjutsu. Soon, he would lift the genjutsu from his mother and he would meet up with his beloved Snow Queen.

"Soon, Koyuki-hime. Soon we shall be together once more, but until then, keep your memories of me alive and pray for my safety." His hand slipped an unseen note into the pocket of the hanyou hunter before he walked off...past the various teams of genin as they marched toward their room.

**Hunter Squad Alpha 'Locker Room'...**

The instant the two walked through the door leading to their room, Hiruzen Sarutobi, their Third Hokage, stood there patiently while his teammates were resting on the couch behind him. "Hello, Saito-kun. Anko-chan. I'm glad to see your team unscathed from your journey. Now...if you don't mind, could you explain to me exactly what you meant in your message, Saito-kun?"

Saito sighed to himself before pulling out his canteen and taking a swig of water from it. "Alright. I was meditating, trying to center my chakra while keeping my senses sharp when I felt three chakra signatures. When I delivered a warning strike to them, Kiba and Sakura showed themselves while carrying the virus known as Sasuke Uchiha. He looked like he'd gone through quite a bit of hell and his teammates were also looking a bit outside of the norm. I decided to let them stay in our camp after they told me that Orochimaru had chosen to appear before them and confront the young Uchiha bastard while infecting him with a 'perfected' version of Anko-sensei's Curse Seal of Heaven."

Anko reached up and rubbed the shoulder joint with the damned bastard's seal on it, a movement that did not go unnoticed by the group. "After a moment, the Sound team decided to show up and threatened to attack and kill Sasuke. While I wasn't against the idea, I knew the council would be crawling up my ass about what happened to their Sharingan whore, which would end up with me either being executed or banished. Still, when I sensed the other Konoha teams as well as Kabuto's team hidden in the area around us, I decided to allow Shino a chance to shine by allowing him to take down the Sound team in front of them all. It didn't take long for them to run off with their tails between their legs."

Anko, Hinata, and Shino all chuckled, though it appeared that Hiruzen was trying to stifle his own laughter. "Well, when the three of them were gone, a vile chakra filled the area and I had a sense of who it was that was radiating it. Sasuke came out of the clearing, feeling as though he could take on the world. Hinata and Shino wanted to interfere, but I decided to show everyone that I'm not going to be pushed around anymore and dealt with him myself. I released my weights, knowing that his Sharingan could not have seen anything I did due to my natural speed and essentially destroyed him, leaving him capable of recovering after a few days." Saito leveled a spite-filled glare at the Sandaime. "I told you, Old Man. If he isn't taken down, he will hurt, not only our village, but anyone who he believes can give him more power. He's become too large a threat to leave unattended anymore and he needs to be disposed of like the parasitic virus he's become."

Sautobi sighed to himself. "I know that, Saito-kun. It's just that the Sharingan was, and still is, a powerful tool and none of the members of the council will allow it to simply disappear from our village. It's completely out of my hands at the moment until he actually does something that leads to him getting arrested."

"Whatever. You know what will happen if he decides to go after Orochimaru for power like the snake bastard likely shoved in his face during their little scuffle." Sarutobi nodded sadly once again, but shook the thoughts from his mind.

"Still, I'm glad that you three made it to the third part of the exams. You're one step closer to that dream of yours, Saito-kun."

"Yeah, Saito-koi," called Hinata as she rushed towards him before wrapping him in a loving embrace. "Just imagine. Once you hit Chunin, you'll finally be able to get married and we can finally do those things we've been dying to do ages ago." Shino chuckled as well.

"Yes. You're one step away from being able to create your own clan and I'm sure it will be the grandest clan in all of Konoha." Saito's eyes dropped slightly.

"I don't know, Shino. Something tells me...that things won't be that simple." Saito walked over to the only window in the room and looked outside. The sun was setting and a beautiful red glow covered the horizon.

**Hokage Monument...**

A young woman sighed to herself as she stood atop her late husband's head. While she had gotten remarried to a young man named Koga, it just wasn't the same as when she was married to Minato. He never told her that he loved her. They had never even had sex in their 7 year marriage and she was still in her prime to bare children. He refused to acknowledge Kana's existance in favor of asking whether she was getting stronger or not. Minato had always placed her needs above anyone else. He always told her he loved her and they had had sex for the first time the night of their honeymoon. It seemed that everything Minato had given her...had been taken from her the night he died to seal the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune away within their son.

A harsh wind blew behind her and her soft gaze became hardened once again. "What do you want, Danzo? I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

The man behind her, Danzo, a crippled war hawk with dreams of never ending war, simply chuckled. "Why, Kushina-hime. How can you say such things when I was thinking about telling you something? I'm sure you'd benefit from this information more than anyone else I know."

Kushina spun around and glared at the aging cripple. "And just what, might I dare ask, would you want in return for this information? I know you don't do anything for free."

Danzo shook his head. "Nothing. To be honest, the reason I want to give you this information is because the person it involves has been a thorn in my side since day one. He's become too powerful for my taste and he needs to be...put down, as it were."

"Stay silent, you old cripple. Nothing you know will change my mind."

"Not even knowledge on a young Naruto Uzumaki?"

Kushina's eye twitched before she grabbed the old man by the throat and slammed his back against the stone surface. "Where is he, damn you? Tell me quickly before I decide to end your miserable life once and for all!"

"Why...you don't even know? Naruto Uzumaki changed his name to Saito Mazaki not long ago. Two years, if memory serves." Danzo smirked to himself. Now his problems would soon disappear. Not only would he remove two dangerous pawns from the game, but he'd also have control over the entire Uzumaki clan very soon. His plan was perfect.

Kushina released Danzo, backing away from him slightly. _'The demon fox chose to disguise himself...as the very boy my daughter has a crush on? I must tell her this immediately!'_

"You're lucky, Danzo, that you had this information, but if I find out that you are wrong, I'll personally end your life as well as the lives of your damned ROOT ANBU." Kushina spun around before disappearing in a blue mist.

Danzo grinned to himself. "Yes. Soon you'll be out of my way, Kyuubi. Not even you stand a chance against Kushina. While I would have loved to have you submit to my will, you've become far too powerful and independent for me to use anymore." With that, Danzo disappeared into a hidden entrance on the stone monument.

**Team Namikaze's 'Locker Room'...**

Just when Kana, Kotoju, and Kurokaze were preparing to rest, Kushina appeared in front of them with a pissed off glare aimed at none of the trio. "Kana, Kotoju, Kurokaze! I've just been given some vital information that pertains to our mission of ending the life of Naruto Uzumaki aka. the Kyuubi no Yoko Kitsune."

The trio listened attentively. "Apparently he has disguised himself and has taken a new identity. I'm sorry, Kana, but his new identity is Saito Mazaki of Hunter Squad Alpha. He is very powerful and incredibly deadly. If any of you wish to stand a chance against him, you will not hold back! Attack him with everything you've got until he is dead. Am I understood?"

The trio simply saluted their sensei, though Kana seemed to be fairly depressed that the man she fell in love with turned out to be the very monster she had been set out to destroy. She had been fooled all along and she had nobody to blame but herself. Her eyes hardened. She would end this blight on the world and on their clan once and for all.

**Five Days Later...**

All of the teams that could make it stood in a huge arena, surrounded by their teachers, the Hokage, and their fellow genin. Somehow, the Sound team managed to make it to the next part of the exam, though Zaku appeared to have had his arms injured fairly badly. Even Sakura seemed to look at Sasuke from the corner of her eye as he held his shoulder painfully. Before them was the Third Hokage in his usual robes, his eyes narrowed at everyone, though there was no sign of hatred in them.

"Welcome, Genin participants. I am glad that so many of you have made it past the second exam. This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying. In the world of shinobi...that is friendship. The third exam is a fight for life with the pride of your village and your own dreams at stake."

Some of the genin looked unsure while others seemed to be rather bored, much like Gaara. "Just tell me what the details of the exam are already. I can handle anything you throw at me."

The old man nodded his head. "Very well then. Now listen closely. I'll be telling you exactly what you'll be doing on the third exam." He coughed into his hand a moment before seeing one of his most trusted jonin kneeling before him.

"Lord Hokage," he said, confidence in his voice. "before you do, please allow me, Gekko Hayate, to speak first."

"So be it."

"There is something...I would like all of you...*cough**cough*...to do before the third exam. We have to have a preliminary exam before we move onto the real one."

"Seriously," Saito said out loud. "Damn it. I knew we should have taken down more teams before getting here."

Sakura decided to speak up for the others. "I'm sorry. Sensei. Excuse me, but I really don't see the point. What is this preliminary exam about? Why can't we just move on to the third exam?"

"Jeez, Sakura. Why don't you use that thick head of yours and think. According to the rules stated on the exam waivers, a preliminary exam can be held during any part of the exams provided that there are too many applicants still here. My guess is that this is way more than they expected to either survive or pass without quitting and they need to weed out the weak in order to give the nobles and others who will be visiting a good show so that our villages can potentially get more missions. Those who make a greater showing will get more missions while those who do some piss poor showing will get fewer."

"That is correct, young man," called Hayate with a cough. "If there are any of you feel you are not in top physical condition, now is your chance to..." before he could get any further, he was interrupted by a coughing fit. "Sorry about that. As "I was saying. If any of you aren't up to this, now is the time to bow out. The preliminaries will start immediately."

"Come on! You mean right now," shouted Kiba.

""We just finished barely surviving the last exam. Don't we get a break," whined Ino.

"What a drag," muttered Shikamaru.

"When do we eat," groaned Chouji.

"Pft. If you'd have gotten here earlier instead of playing house with the Uchiha, then maybe you'd be feeling better about this."

"Oh yeah. The winners will be determined by one-on-one combat: sudden death. So like I said, if there is anyone who doesn't feel up to it, raise your hand."

Sasuke felt a sharp wave of pain entering his shoulder and he gripped it, trying not to show any sign of weakness, but it was obvious to every one of the jonin that he was feeling the effects of the seal.

"It is just as I feared," the Third grumbled.

"What do we do with him," asked the curious Ibiki as he looked on.

"I say we take him out of the exam, hand him over to Black Ops, and let them keep him locked up," growled Anko. "We have to keep that seal under control or..."

"And he's just going to quietly go along with all of this, huh? You really think so? You're forgetting. He's a member of the Uchiha clan," interrupted Kakashi.

"I don't give a damn if he was a member of the Hyuuga clan! If he stays, he's a danger to everyone," Anko shouted to the white-haired pervert. "Don't you see it? The stronger he gets, so does the Curse Mark! That thing is feeding off of his chakra! It's a forbidden jutsu that devours the one who bares it," she said as she clutches at the seal on her own neck. However, it doesn't last long when she remembers the promise Saito made her. "It's a miracle he's still standing after having to go through the process. Anyone else would have died by now. Lord Hokage!"

Sakura seemed to care about his current state considering how much time she spent around him. Sasuke seemed to refuse her help despite the fact that she was shedding tears for him. Apparently she threatened to tell the jonin and the Third about the mark on his neck, but a hand was raised before she could raise her own.

"Okay. You got me. I'm out," called out Kabuto with a sickening smile. Sakura and a few others seemed shocked by the news, but the act didn't fool Saito, Shino, or Hinata. Hayate flipped through the folder he had in his hand before looking up.

"Kabuto Yakushi from the Leaf Village, right? Okay. You can go on and step back."

"Gotcha," he said without hesitation before turning back. Sakura shouted at him.

"Kabuto! You can't go on and quit! I don't get this! What's going on," she cried.

Kabuto turned around, a false look of sadness on his face. "I just can't go on. When my team ran into those Sound genin, I lost the hearing in my right ear and now I have to lay my life on the line? To fight again without a break. I can't do it."

Saito continued to watch as Kabuto left, but his enhanced hearing caught something as he spoke with one of his teammates. Surprisingly, Kabuto was talking to this Yoroi character about Orochimaru's plans and how Kabuto appeared to be the Snake Sannin's favorite. Saito turned his purple eye toward the Third, but his sight landed upon the jonin from Sound that stood attentively behind him.

"Whatever. Can we just get back to the fights? I've been building up a bit of frustration and I've been dying to take it out on someone," the young Hanyou said with a wicked grin and a crack of his knuckles. Apparently Gaara had the same thoughts as his grin seemed to grow larger and more bloodthirsty.

"Well then...does anybody else want to give up," Hayate asked, coughing into his hand once more. Just when Sakura was about to raise her hand, Sasuke snatched it out of thin air.

"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark," the angst ridden boy growled out.

"I don't get what your trying to prove," Sakura whined as she looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Am I just supposed to stand by and watch as you tear yourself apart? I can't bear to watch it."

"Then don't watch, but stay out of it," Sasuke said. "This has nothing to do with you. I told you before. What I am is an avenger. For me, this is something far more than an exam. Whether I become a chunin or not means less than nothing to me. Am I as strong as I can be? All I want is the answer to that. I can only find out by fighting the strongest. The best. And the best of the best are all here. This is the path I walk. Not you or anyone can change that."

"Oh Sasuke-kun," Sakura moaned in wonder.

"Give me a break, you walking virus. 'The path of the avenger is the path I walk. I must fight the best in order to prove myself,'" Saito mocked as he rolled his eyes. "No. Seriously. You act like such a fucking drama queen!"

"Saito. You're one of the ones I want to fight the most," Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Sorry, but I don't feel the same way. I could live without giving you another beating like I did on the first day. Honestly, fighting you would be a huge waste of my time and chakra."

Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe as he watched Sasuke glare at Saito while the young Hanyou ignored the young man. "I'm still concerned about what Orochimaru said. Allow the boy to continue the exam for now and we'll see what happens."

"But...Lord Hokage!"

"However, at the first sign of the curse mark growing or his power going out of control, you will step in and stop it."

"But I," started Anko before stopping her speech with a growl. "As you wish, Old Man."

Hayate coughed into his hand. "Alright. We'll begin the preliminary round. Each round will consist of one-on-one individual combat. At full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are 23 of you remaining meaning 12 matches. The surviving candidates of these 12 matches will proceed to the third exam. As for the rules, there are none. You will fight until one dies or concede defeat or is rendered physically incapable of continuing the contest. Naturally, those who are losing are to concede defeat promptly in order to avoid a fatal outcome. Furthermore, as proctor, I'm given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I might occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless...to save as many lives as possible. Now it's time to reveal the fate that has been chosen for you."

Anko nods before looking up. "Open the panel."

A false panel just above the stands opens up to reveal a green board. "The names of each pair of opponents are chosen completely at random. Before each match, these names will appear on the display behind me. Since there are so many genin, one genin will have to fight twice. That name will appear on the board now."

As the names began to scroll down, the buzz finally landed on one name that seemed to make everyone turn their heads.

'Saito Mazaki'

"Saito Mazaki will have to fight two fights, so I suggest he prepares himself. As there's nothing more to say, let's begin. In a moment, the names of the first two opponents will appear."

As the generator spun through the names of every contestant, a few of the applicants began to sweat. A short beep, alerted everyone to the first match.

'Sasuke Uchiha versus Yoroi Akado'

Sasuke seemed rather pleased by the news while his opponent, a man with jet black eyes chuckled to himself. "I couldn't ask for anything more."

"Alright now," called the coughing Special Jonin. "Those whose names have been drawn, come forward." As the two did this, Hayate coughed into his fist once again. "You have been chosen for the first match. Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha. Any objections?"

"No."

"None here."

Everyone seemed to have some kind of opinion about Sasuke's state of health, though Saito and his team seemed to ignore him most of the time. "Alright then. Let's begin the first match. Anyone other than the two opposing candidates will now clear the area and move to the upper level. Everyone, including the jonin, began walking to the upper level, though Kakashi chose to walk behind Sasuke.

"Sasuke," he said in a low whisper, alerting the angst ridden virus of his presence. "Don't use your Sharingan."

Sasuke gasped, but quickly relaxed. "So you know about it."

"If that mark on your neck gets out of control, your life could be in danger."

"I'm aware of that."

"Just to let you know, if it gets to that point, I'll have to step in and stop the fight. Good luck."

Sasuke seemed shocked by this news.

**(Just so you're aware of this, some fights will be the same as their cannon counterparts. Sasuke's fight, for example, will be the same as before. He obtained his Sharingan during his fight with Rock Lee and used it to copy his moves. He showed it to Kakashi briefly before his team entered the first exam. Also, instead of Naruto/Saito cheering him on, it was Kiba.)**

"Winner: Sasuke Uchiha!"

"That was so...pathetic. Honestly, I was hoping to see his viral ass get beat down a couple of more times, but I guess I'll have to settle with his chakra getting jacked instead of bruises and cuts," mumbled Saito as his teammates nodded in agreement. Even Lee seemed a bit put off that his own technique was stolen from him.

"Shouldn't you be happy your comrade won his match," called out Kakashi from where his team was stationed.

Saito scoffed. "I'll be happy when he gets the ass thrashing he deserves. Nothing more than that would make me happier aside from marrying the ones I love the instant I clear chunin, Hatake."

The white-haired pervert didn't acknowledge the last barb. He simply settled for walking down to Sasuke and walking off with him. The moment Sasuke and Kakashi left the arena, Hayate walked up and confirmed the winner. "Alright. Onto our next match." As the names flashed upon the board, the two names were chosen with a beep.

'Shino Aburame versus Zaku Abumi'

Zaku looked up to see Shino placing his naginata over his shoulder as he walked down. For a moment, the loud mouth Sound genin seemed a bit fearful of his fight, though that might also be because of his two broken arms and the huge scar on his torso.

"So...you're my first opponent," said Shino in annoyance. "Give up, Zaku. I thrashed you and your teammates once. I'll make sure you won't be capable of recovery if you decide to continue with this farce of a fight."

Zaku seemed to think about it before beginning to pull one of his arms out of its covering. "Well what do you know? I've got a little bit of movement in one of 'em. And one is all I need to beat you!" With that, Zaku charged in, having heard the proctor begin the match. Shino shook his head before slashing upwards with his naginata using only one arm, forcing Zaku to abandon his attack in order to save his arm.

"EAT THIS! Decapitating Airwave!" A giant blast of air and sound rushed toward Shino. Sending a bit of chakra into his blade, he swung at the attack, causing it to split in half an crash into opposing sides of the wall.

"I told you, but this will by your final warning. If you attack me, I will end your miserable life."

"THIS IS IT," Zaku shouted as he pulled his other arm out before taking aim at Shino. "EXTREME DECAPITATING AIRWAVES!" Two funnels of wind and sound came rushing even quicker than the last attack, but Shino was already finished. Before the airwaves reached his position, the young bug user simply...disappeared before reappearing behind Zaku, his blade...coated in his opponent's blood.

Zaku took a single breath before falling to the ground, his precious arms laying on the floor next to him in a pool of blood. "I warned him."

Hayate walked over to Zaku to check his pulse, but he knew that too much blood had been spilled to show his survival. "Winner: Shino Aburame!"

Shino disappeared before reappearing behind his teammates. They turned slightly before smiling at the young swordsman. "Congratulations, Shino. You've officially graduated the Hunter's Exam," said Saito before placing his hand on his comrade's shoulder. "After the preliminaries, I'll take the whole team out for a couple of bottles of sake. On me, of course."

"Thank you, Squad Leader." Shino remained neutral until he fell to his knees, hacking up something fierce. "Does this...ever get any easier, Squad Leader?"

Saito shook his head. "Two things you should know. One: Since you made your first kill, you don't have to call me Squad Leader. Just Saito or Brother will be enough. Two: It does, but the feeling never completely disappears. When you kill, it always feels wrong. To take pleasure in killing another human is abominable and I pray that nobody on our team ever begins to feel that way."

As the board spun through more names, it finally beeped on two more.

'Kankuro of the Desert Versus Misumi Tsurugi'

(**Same As Canon)**

Saito simply looked down, shaking his head. The matches thus far had been...the most disappointing in his life. "Why can't a good fight show up instead of these totally one-sided matches, Shino? Having to watch such...pathetic fights bores me to tears." Shino nodded while Hinata wrapped her arms around his hips, pressing herself against his back and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Saito-kun," she whispered, a hint of seduction in her voice as her lips neared his ear. "You get to fight twice. Maybe you can make them more interresting." Saito sighed in joy.

"I know, Hina-hime, but none of the fights I have will be interesting unless I end up fighting Gaara or Kana. Everyone else would be more like a speed bump than a true challenge." Hinata hummed in her throat before kissing the nape of his neck as she looked at Tenten, who had a hungry look in her eyes.

As the board spun through several names, the genin everywhere were looking forward to their own matches, though some were afraid of having to take on a select handful of other potential chunin. As the words spun, a loud beep signaled the decision.

'Sakura Haruno versus Hinata Mazaki'

Several of the jonin and even Sarutobi were in shock by the accusation the Hyuuga heiress' new last name brought. Even Neji was stunned for a moment before watching his cousin walk down the stairs with a smirk as she looked toward her opponent. Only Saito seemed to notice her swaying hips as she moved around him with ease.

"This is going to be easy," claimed Sakura as she hopped down the stairs before her feet finally hit the ground. "Hinata was the weakest Kunoichi in class! This is going to be a cake walk!" Hinata's eye twitched much like Saito's when he got irritated, pissed off, or annoyed. She was so tempted to just go for the kill, but the young huntress realized that there would be no sport if her prey wasn't given a chance.

"I'm only going to say this once, Haruno. Forfeit now and save yourself some face before it ends up glowing black and blue. I'm not interested in hunting something that won't stand a chance." Hinata cracked her knuckles and her neck before setting herself into her own personal Taijutsu style that appeared to be a combination of Anko's Snake Style, the Hyuuga's Jyuken Style, and the Crane Kung-Fu Style while the pink-haired fan girl set herself into the standard Academy Style.

Saito sighed to himself. His teammates got paired up with simpletons and this was going to be a pathetic display on Sakura's end. Hayate looked at both competitors before signaling the start of the match.

"Clone Jutsu," Sakura shouted before two copies of herself appeared on the battlefield.

"Fine. You want to play with clones, then so be it." Hinata began weaving through five hand signs before ending with her fingers in a t-like shape. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Instantly, five copies of Hinata sprang forth from nowhere. "Saito-koi taught this to me once my control and reserves became large enough to maintain it without having to deal with Chakra Exhaustion. I'm going to end this quickly. Hopefully, you'll remember the pain."

The six Hinata's charged, two of them were quick enough to discover which ones were false without activating the Byakugan while the other four swarmed the poor, defenseless harlot. "Mazaki Taijutsu Style: Bringer of Darkness!" Two of the clones ducked underneath an overthrown punch and delivered two kicks to the screamer's flat chest, sending the girl into the sky until another clone delivered a nasty uppercut to her unprotected face. The two clones who disabled the poor illusion clones grabbed a hold of the airborne girl's arms before reaching up. The original grabbed the two extended arms of her clones before raising them further only to launch the three to the ground. Once this was done, the two other clones copied the original and thrust the pink missile to the ground even faster until said missile impacted the ground, creating a crater and a huge dust cloud.

Hinata landed on the ground gently, though her breathing was rather ragged. The clones dispelled at one at a time until only the original was left standing. When the dust settled, everyone could see the young pink-haired girl laying down in the middle of the crater, blood already beginning to pool, though not fast enough to cause certain death. There was no doubt in the spectator's minds that Hinata showed very little in the way of her fighting style and her other skills, but they instantly knew not to mess with her.

"I warned you, Haruno," Hinata spat with bitterness in her voice. "I'm not the weakling you knew in the Academy and neither is Saito-koi."

"Winner: Hinata Mazaki." A group of medics rushed past the frigid Mazaki as she made her way up to her lovers. Standing next to Saito was Tenten, her eyes looking at the busty young woman in desire while Saito looked partially amused.

A buzzer signified another team was set up and everyone looked to the glowing board.

'Shikamaru Nara versus Kin Tsuchi'

**(Same As Canon)**

'Gaara of the Desert versus Rock Lee'

**(Same As Canon)**

As Gaara's bloodthirsty gaze landed on Lee, defenseless to stop the incoming attack after his arm and leg had been crushed, his sand rushed forward, intent on ending the young Taijutsu fighter's life until...

...a giant wall of water intercepted the attack while Might Guy stood in front of his student with his guard raised, shocked that a wall of water intercepted the offending attack.

"Gaara," called out the passive Saito Mazaki as he jumped down from the viewing deck and walked over to his fallen brother. "The match had ended. That last attack was uncalled for. If you attack another opponent after the proctor called the match...**I will hunt you down and end your miserable life without hesitation.**" Gaara looked at the young Mazaki hanyou, a demented look in his eyes before a cold feeling crawled up his spine the moment his mismatched eyes landed on his own.

"Very well, but you will be the one to prove my existence," the young man growled before marching up to his teammates. Saito's hand began to glow green before hovering over the young warrior's arm and leg before it died down.

"Saito-kun," Guy whispered, a small tear falling from his eye, "what is wrong with my young Lee?"

"The pressure Gaara's sand exerted on the bones in his arm and leg...practically shattered and splintered them into fragments that even I was barely able of finding. To be honest, he may never be able to continue his ninja career. However, I do know two ways of healing him. One of which...is incredibly dangerous and I would never consider doing it if Lee wasn't my brother. I could...use some of my demonic chakra and pray that its regenerative abilities are capable of healing Lee's limbs. There is a slim chance that it would also restore his chakra coils to normal. Unfortunately, there is also the chance that the yokai's potency is too much for his coils and his body to handle and he would die."

"And the other?"

"After the exams, we could send out a small team to hunt down Tsunade and drag her back her to perform a very delicate and dangerous surgery that could end up ruining his chances to be a ninja afterwards. I'd say...there's a 50% chance of the surgery being a success, but that's only because Tsunade is the best medic in the Great Nations. If anyone else were to perform it, there'd be less than 1% success rate. As his sensei, it's up to you to decide which option is best for him."

Guy was in a tough spot. He could either allow the young half demon that was Lee's best friend and brother to channel enough Yokai to restore his body and chakra coils, risking his death from the potency of the deadly chakra...or he could wait until the exams for Saito and others to hunt down Tsunade to bring his favorite student back into fighting condition. Saito, seeing the distressed look on the older man's eyes and face, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Bring him to the hospital, Guy-sensei. When the preliminaries are over and you've had enough time to think about your answer, then come find me."

Guy nodded with a small smile and picked up Lee to bring him to the hospital. With that said, Saito walked back up to the decks before wrapping his arms around Hinata and Tenten, the latter was crying on his shoulder while the former was helping her cope. "Don't worry, Ten-hime," whispered Hinata as she moved a stray hair from the weapon mistress' eyes with a smile on her face. "If anyone can take care of Lee, it's Saito-koi or Tsunade-hime." Tenten sniffled a bit before pressing her lips against Hinata's for a minute before releasing the kiss.

A buzz from the background alerted a new match about to begin.

'Neji Hyuuga versus Kotoju Namikaze'

Everyone gasped. The 'strongest' ninja in Konoha versus the nephew of their Fourth Hokage. Both were adept in their individual Taijutsu style, but Kotoju wasn't afraid to use Ninjutsu.

As the duo stepped down, the entire team of Hunter Squad Alpha began to pay attention. "Damn it," Saito whispered to himself. "I don't know which asshole I want to fight worse: Neji or Kotoju. Both of them are bastards that need a good ass thrashing. One's related to that bastard Fourth and the other is your bastard cousin, Hina-hime." Hinata chuckled, but kept her eyes open. "It won't matter much either way. This just means I can prepare if I end up fighting one or the other."

"There is no doubt you're more powerful than either of them, Brother Saito," called Shino from behind them. "However, one is out for your blood while the other is most likely out for Hinata's. This makes them both threats to the team that need to either be neutralized or put in their place." Tenten nodded.

"Yeah. I know what you mean," the iron maiden whispered. "I swear...when Neji came back and gave his permission form to Guy-sensei, he had this odd look that he gets when he's usually on a mission and I have no doubts it involves Hina-hime. Whatever this plot is, we need to make sure it never comes to fruition."

Saito nodded, knowing the implications. _'I know you're out for Hinata-hime's blood, Neji, but for once...I'll pray to Inari for your victory against my bastard cousin.'_

Neji simply stared at the Namikaze in neutral hate. "Give up, Namikaze. You don't stand a chance against me. Fate has declared me the victor already."

Kotoju scoffed to himself. "There's no way I'm giving up. I've got a demon to take care of and nothing's going to stop me from reaching that goal. Not even a pathetic Hyuuga like you will stop me."

Neji entered the standard Hyuuga Jyuken Style stance while the Namikaze heir contorted his body until he was crouched on the ground with his arms behind him. The proctor looked to both competitors before nodding and signaling them to begin. Immediately Kotoju seemed to disappear, but Neji launched a leg sweep, catching his opponent behind his knees and sending him face first into the ground. A crack signified that Kotoju had broken his nose. Neji simply moved back a bit before chuckling to himself. "This is it? You're so pathetic that my weak cousin could beat you without breaking a sweat." Hinata's eye twitched.

"Are you sure you want Neji-teme to beat Kotoju-teme, Saito-koi," the blue-haired water lily said with a growl.

"Unfortunately...yes. What I suspect is that he doesn't want to show me everything he's capable of...hoping to keep a trump card up his sleeve. However, what he fails to realize is that with an opponent like Neji, you cannot hold back anything unless you can either break through his defenses or restore use to your closed tenketsus. He will be forced to show what he's made of or else he will lose."

Kotoju was getting up, though blood seemed to drip from his nose. He turned around angrily when he heard Neji taunting him. "How dare you," he shouted. "I'm a Namikaze! We are the elite! Nobody gets away with a transgression against us!"

"So pathetic. If you're supposedly the strongest member of your group, then I doubt you'll be able to take care of this demon you spoke about. I'd rather be fighting Mazaki-san. At least he'd be able to stand a chance at beating me."

At that moment, all Kotoju could see was red and his eyes seemed to radiate a heavy yellow glow before electricity began to form around his body. The furious young man grinned like a mad man. "This is the Namikaze clan's true power! Complete control over electricity and lightning! This is why you should fear me, Hyuuga! How can you fight someone who can channel electricity throughout their body?"

Neji chuckled before smacking himself upside the head. "I know I'm going to regret saying this, but if you were fighting Mazaki-san, he'd say you were becoming a glorified bug zapper. I'd be forced to agree with him on that point alone."

The stadium was silent save the roar of insane laughter coming from Saito and his team, though Shino did not join in due to the bug zapper comment. Still, he admitted that were he not an Aburame, he might have found that somewhat funny. "I FUCKING NEW IT! NEJI HYUUGA DOES HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR! HIDE IN THE BOMB SHELTERS! PROTECT THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST!"

Neji simply sighed to himself, a rather embarrassed blush on his cheeks, though it was quickly hidden. "Now you see? Even with this new information, you still don't stand much of a chance against a Hyuuga. I can already see that your chakra is being drained rather quickly by this new technique. I'd say you can hold it for maybe another three minutes before your chakra exhausts itself and you'll be wide open for attack."

"I'll show you, Hyuuga," the bug zapper stated before running toward Neji and threw punches left and right only for Neji to dodge them.

"You're not even as fast as my teammate. What possible hope do you have to beat me when you're already straining yourself?" It was true. A sheet of sweat was falling from Kotoji's body and his breathing was becoming labored. Even the sparks around his body were beginning to show signs of weakening. Before the young bug zapper could say anything in retort, a heavy boot found itself planted in his face, sending the ignorant Namikaze flying across the arena until he landed in a heap.

"This match is over. I declare Neji Hyuuga the victor."

The room was silent as Neji walked up to his sensei while Kana walked down to pick up the young Namikaze heir and bring him to the infirmary, but not before sending a heartbroken glare at Saito. "She knows. She knows who I am," he growled out in anger.

"What," whispered Hinata, Shino, Tenten, and Kurenai.

"Before she left with Kotoju, she sent me this heartbroken glare. She knows who I was...which means the rest of her team does to." His eyes glowed in fury. "Which also means...somebody told that whore Kushina and I bet I can name them on my first guess." Saito glared at Kushina as she stood across the room. Kushina, in response, glared right back with a minute amount of Killing Intent. "Yeah. She knows. I've got to tell Sarutobi-jiji immediately. I'll be gone for a while, but if you get your shot to fight, Tenten, tell me about it when I get back."

With that said, Saito disappeared in a gust of wind. The buzzer rang once more signaling the next match.

'Tenten Mazaki versus Kurokaze Uzumi'

_'Oh the irony,'_ thought the small group as Tenten walked down calmly before glaring at her opponent. As Kurokaze walked downstairs, he too glared at Tenten, though he also diverted his glare to Hinata who simply looked on impassively. "If Kotoju didn't stand a chance against my teammate, what makes you think you have a slim chance at beating me or even getting far enough in the tournament to reach Saito?"

"Kotoju was weak. He never had the stamina or capability to take things any farther than this point in the exams. Our team was specifically designed so that Kana-sama would fight and slay the demon. However, I will say this. I am not nearly as weak as Kotoju and you would do well to stay out of my way once I activate my bloodline."

Hayate nodded to both before beginning the match. "Azure Myst Eyes," called out Kurokaze as a deep blue mist dispersed itself around the arena. "Unlike the main branch of our clan, we Uzuki lack the ability to see through our mists, however we are trained in the art of Silent Killing to the point of complete mastery."

Tenten sighed to herself. This was already getting boring and this guy never seemed to cut out on the speaking until he finally drew his sword and pointed it directly in front of him. "This is why I will defeat you with ease and move on to face the demon!"

"Trust me, kid. Saito is one of the best users of the Silent Killing method," called out Tenten from seemingly everywhere. "Even Zabuza Momochi himself claims that he's a prodigy in the art and he was once a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist known for his own Silent Killing technique. Being his fiance, he and Zabuza taught me this technique. While I am no master of it," she said in a whisper from behind Kurokaze, "I can kill anyone just as easily as they can in a mist like this."

Kurokaze spun around and slashed, but there was no resistance and the sound of blood hitting the ground did not register in his ears. The young swordsman's eyes darted from left to right as he searched for the chakra signature of his opponent, but found none. Suddenly, his eyes widened in pain as he felt metal carve into his back, his blood hitting the ground with a dull splash. "Also, because I know Saito-koi, he told me the weaknesses of such a technique...and those ugly blue eyes of yours. You take the moisture from your own bodies, provided there isn't enough in the air, and saturate it with chakra before releasing the mist from your eyes. Because of this, when the technique cuts out, you end up dehydrated rather quickly. Luckily, Saito doesn't have to worry about that because he doesn't possess the cursed eyes of your clan anymore. Personally, I think his red and purple eyes are much more...erotic than those blue ones he used to carry around."

Another slash registered in the swordsman's body as his legs were cut three times each. He could still feel the phantom pain in his back and the fresh pain in his legs as he fought to keep his ground. He was a master at the Silent Killing technique and his method of sensing people in the mist wasn't working. He was a sensor-type swordsman ninja, for crying out loud! How could he not sense her chakra?

"Also a tiny factoid my beloved warned me about...is that there are some ninjas who rely on smell to see through such obscurities, such as the Inuzuka, and those who can hear their opponents with their sharp sense of hearing, like Zabuza-sama. However, he told me that your clan, the Uzumaki and Uzuki, are typically sensor-type ninjas because you lack the nose and ears to find your enemy otherwise. He taught me to conceal my chakra. So in other words..." she said with a delighted smirk on her face, "I'm like a ghost."

A kunai passed through his sword hand, forcing him to drop his weapon, before she placed a kunai against the wanna-be's neck. "Game over, kid. Dispel the mist before I stick another kunai in your other hand." As ordered, the mist receded until the only thing remaining was Tenten holding a blood-soaked Kurokaze at knife point. "This is why none of you will ever lay their filthy hands on him. Because he has friends like me and Hinata who will kill to keep him safe...just like he would kill anyone who dares to threaten his family, his village, his friends, his nation, and his daimyo."

"Winner: Tenten Mazaki," Hayate called out, causing Kushina to glare at Tenten, Hinata, and Kurenai.

As Tenten walked up, Kurokaze reached out and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her in place. "Listen to me, Mrs. Mazaki. I understand why you and your friends defend him and I can only say...that I'm happy for him." Tenten stood in shock. "As a warning, I must inform you that Kana is the strongest on our team and that she was taught by Jiraya-sama, the Toad Sage. Kushina also taught her everything she knows in hopes that she will end Saito's life."

"Thank you, Kurokaze, for the information, but Saito-koi isn't a push over. I doubt there are many people in Konoha who could fight Saito on even terms when he lets go of his inhibitions and reservations. While Kana may be Saito's sister and Kushina his mother, those two don't hold any sway over his heart. Reminding him of such frivolous things...will only anger him and cause them more harm in the end." Tenten removed his hand from her shoulders, but turned to him quickly. "Go see the medic. You've just been beat to hell by the Steel Magnolia." With that said, Tenten walked up the stairs to see her friends on Hunter Squad Alpha while Kurokaze was taken away in a stretcher.

"That was some fight, Ten-hime," whispered Hinata as she wrapped the brunette in her smooth and gentle arms before nibbling on her mate mark. "You really knocked the hell out of that Uzuki bastard."

"True, but he did give me some information on Kana." Everyone became attentive the instant an opponents name had been spoken. "Apparently, she was trained by Jiraya and Kushina, though Kushina likely trained her simply to kill Saito. Also, he said that he was happy for Saito and that he knew he wasn't the demon Kushina and Kana believe him to be. At least, that is what I picked up from his body language and tone. I couldn't see his eyes well enough to tell if he was lying or telling the truth."

Kurenai swallowed the lump in her throat. "I doubt her being trained by Jiraya was a lie. The Toad Sage would want to train his student's daughter and he might not know that Saito was his son, though even if he did, I highly doubt that he would make it out alive. Jiraya was his godfather and not being there for him might have made Saito a bit bitter. This means that there is a chance that Kana knows the Rasengan, the Fourth Hokage's personal jutsu, and I doubt she knows the Hiraishin due to how complex Jiraya said the seals were."

"This means Saito will need to be careful around such an opponent," piped in Shino as he already began considering the possible outcomes of a fight between his captain and the daughter of the Yellow Flash and the Red Death. Surprisingly, Saito would come out of 18 out of 20 scenarios as the victor, though this was all simply speculation and they didn't even have a skill list for Kana. Once they did, there would be a more capable list of scenarios available and certainty would be almost assured.

A buzz once again alerted them to two more people being thrown to the proverbial wolves.

'Chouji Akimichi Versus Temari of the Desert'

Chouji walks downstairs while Temari rides her fan down. "Begin."

Temari ended the fight rather quickly by unfurling her weapon and launching a wind jutsu at Chouji, sending him crashing into the wall and ending the match.

**(BTW. I know it was kinda weak, but I didn't want to have to write this fight down. It was too...troublesome. Lol. Anyways, cut me some slack because I'm writing most of the non-canon fights I've put in, though the only Canon fight I will rewrite is Saito/Naruto versus Kiba. That one...will end Kiba's infatuation with Hinata once and for all.)**

'Kana Uzumaki Namikaze versus Dosu Kinuta'

Dosu smirked as he marched downstairs. Kana simply jumped from her position onto the battlefield just as Saito reappeared in a gust of wind.

"So how did your meeting with the Hokage go, Saito-kun," asked Kurenai, curious as to the content of the actual conversation between the duo.

"Let's just say...that I'm finding more reasons to hate this village. It all started when I showed up at the office."

**Flashback...**

_Saito ran up the stairs to the Hokage's office, a place he'd become rather familiar with and a route which seemed to have quickly become worn in due to his seemingly constant trips to visit the old man. As soon as he noticed his secretary wasn't at her desk, the young raven-haired hunter lit the area up with a smirk before walking up to the door and kicking it in, sending the two large pieces of wood to go crashing into the wall opposite them. As soon as he entered the office, the stunned faces of Koharu, Homura, and Danzo as well as the impassive visage of Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted him._

"_Yo, old man," he said casually, his face set in a stony glare. "I just found out something important."_

"_And what, pray tell, could be more important than my meeting with my advisers, Saito-kun," said Hiruzen with a slight sign of joy in his tone._

"_Well, aside from the fact that Kana had glared at me with this heartbroken look? The possibility that someone told that Uzu jonin bitch that I was Naruto Uzumaki. It doesn't exactly hurt my case that within the first match, when the Namikaze brat was talking about a demon, he looked directly up at me. You could give me three guesses as to who I think did it, but I believe I only need one," he said, leveling a glare at Danzo himself._

"_I don't know what you're talking about, boy, but I do know those are some serious accusations your throwing around. Do you have any proof of this foul play?"_

"_You mean...aside from the fact that up until the preliminaries that Kana was practically drooling over me and actually asked me out before the Exams took place. Even Kushina wanted me to marry her...until the preliminaries where she was practically drilling a hole in my head with her 'powerful glare and Killing Intent combination'. So...you'll have to pardon me if I think someone wants me dead enough to actually give this information to the only group of people attending the Chunin Exams who could possibly want my ass dead."_

"_That is quite odd, Saito," said Hiruzen before he glanced at his advisers. "None of you would know anything about this, would you? After all, it is incredibly suspicious for an entire team to pull a complete 360 without any kind of provocation and everyone on the council knows that Kushina is out for his blood." Even he had to admit it was rather suspicious and he had no doubt that Danzo was the main reason. Before any of them could get any further into the accusation, a medic ninja rushed through the broken down door and appeared quite frantic._

"_Lord Hokage," she shouted. "Lady Uchiha is waking up!"This stunned everyone, Saito included._

"_ANBU," Sarutobi shouted. Three ANBU, Cat, Tiger, and Bear, appeared behind the three advisers. "Place Koharu, Homura, and Danzo in an ANBU cell under suspicion of having committed treason! They are to be interrogated by Ibiki, but if you find them uncooperative, bring in Anko and Inoichi." The trio of ANBU nodded, placed chakra cuffs on the three, and took off in a veil of leaves and wind. "Saito. Come with me. Since Itachi first took you to see Mikoto, she was quite fond of you. Knowing this, I wish for you to come with me when we see her." Saito nodded before putting his hands into his pockets. The sound of paper ruffling in them caused him to pull it out and open it._

_'Dear Naruto-kun/Saito-kun,_

_I wanted you to know...that I plan on waking my mother up today. She has been asleep for too long. I placed her in a Genjutsu that showed the exact events leading up to the massacre, knowing that she would be the key piece of evidence that would put Danzo in his grave. I fear that I must remain with Akatsuki for now. If I quit all of a sudden, it would be suspicious and my cover would be blown. I have visited Koyuki-hime last week and enjoyed our time together, but she knows that my life is in constant change. Sadly, her uncle has taken over Snow Country and she was forced to run away. I told her...that my best friend was a Konoha shinobi and that she and her bodyguards should seek Konoha's help. If you show her the picture enclosed in the seal below, then she will understand that you are my 'brother' and that you can be trusted with our secrets._

_Please, Saito-kun. Help Koyuki free her people._

_Itachi.'_

_'Brother,' Saito thought, a single tear falling from his eye before he bit his thumb and rubbed it against the seal. A picture appeared of Itachi wearing his ANBU outfit minus the mask with his arm around a beautiful black hair and amethyst eyes. 'You two look quite beautiful together. I will assist Koyuki-hime for you, Itachi-nii-san. You've already done more than enough for me.'_

_Saito and Hiruzen made a mad dash to the hospital before finally reaching the coma wing. Saito's breath hitched in his throat before he pushed the door open to see Mikoto Uchiha sitting up with a hand holding up her covers to hide her chest. "Mikoto-kaa-chan," he whispered, catching her attention quickly. Unfortunately, due to his chance, she didn't recognize him._

"_I'm sorry, little one, but only one person called me that and you are not him," she stated firmly._

"_How about this, Mikoto-kaa-chan," Saito said, causing her eye to twitch. "I'll tell you something only Naruto Uzumaki would know and, if I'm right, then you will know I'm him. If not, then I'll leave immediately. Alright?"_

_Mikoto nodded and Saito walked over to the bedside before whispering in Mikoto's ear. The slight blush she wore went away before she grabbed the young raven-haired boy and pressed him against her ample bossom. "Naru-chan," she cried, tears falling from her eyes as she held him close to her. "What happened since I've been gone. So many things have changed since Itachi..."_

_Her lips screwed themselves shut. Saito began to explain, hesitantly, exactly what has been happening. At first, Mikoto didn't know whether to be angry at Itachi, angry at Sarutobi's advisers, happy that her Naru-chan found love, despite it being in the form of 6 women, or absolutely furious that Sasuke never visited her and that Saito's birth mother abandoned him and that his 'true mother' was the demon fox that had been sealed within him from birth. What she did know was that she was definitely angry enough that a single Fire jutsu from her would just about level the village. Once this was done, she told Sarutobi what the Genjutsu she was locked in entailed, getting him very furious with his advisers._

"_I know it's difficult to deal with, especially after you just woke up, but I will do everything in my power to see Danzo and my teammates be killed for high treason. This has gone on for long enough." Sarutobi turned to Saito. "Saito-kun. While I understand that Kushina and her team know about your secret, you must still participate in the exams if you ever wish to become Chunin. Go on and get back to the arena. I'll be there once my ANBU inform me that the preliminaries are over."_

_With that Saito disappeared in a gust of wind while Sarutobi and Mikoto were left trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life._

**End Flashback...**

"And that's what happened. While I had an idea that Danzo was part of the massacre, I didn't know he practically orchestrated it." It seemed as though everyone was getting pissed at Danzo and the elders.

"Now...will the ninth match of the Chunin Exams...begin," called Hayate, coughing a few times in between.

Kana was the first one to attack, flying through hand signs as though it was second nature. "Wind Style: Divine Wind!" A huge gale swept through the arena, causing three tornadoes to form around the trio before running through another chain of seals. "Fire Style: Running Fire!" A huge line of fire rushed toward the tornadoes, causing them to erupt into giant pillars of spinning flame. "This is my Flame Hurricane Combo! Nobody's lived after I used it, so I suggest you surrender immediately."

Dosu was stunned by the combination jutsu and could barely speak. The flames themselves seemed to be hot enough to make him and most of the other competitors sweat save Saito who simply shrugged it off. "Not on your life, little girl," he said, finally getting his mind back in the game. "There's more to being a shinobi than knowing fancy techniques. Like this!" Dosu raised his metallic arm and slammed his fist against it, creating a huge gust of sound and wind that destroyed the tornadoes of fire instantly, causing Kana to go into shock. Taking advantage of the stunned girl, he runs toward her and slams his hand against the melody arm once again, sending a sound wave toward her that forced her to vomit and hold her ears in pain. "It's about being ruthless and taking advantage of your enemy." He runs toward her and lands a kick in her face, sending her flying back into the wall. "And it's about kicking your enemy when they're down and making sure they stay down."

Kana chuckled to herself before spitting out a glob of blood before leveling a sadistic glare at Dosu. "Good point. Thanks for the lesson." She goes through a short set of hand signs before pointing her hand at Dosu. "Good bye. Wind Style: Wind Cutter!" Before anyone could move, Dosu had been cut and his torso and head fell to the side while his legs simply fell forward.

"Winner: Kana Uzumaki Namikaze."

Saito sighed to himself before shaking his head. "Too flashy for my taste. She could have simply ended the fight with those flaming tornadoes, but she had to go and gloat about them, allowing Dosu time to disrupt them with a well-placed pressure wave. So pathetic. This means that I'm fighting twice in a row, huh? Who's left of the contestants?"

"Ino and Kiba."

"God I hope Kiba's first. I'm so pissed off that I need some time to vent."

"What about Ino," asked Shino.

"As much as I hate saying it, Ino would have been better off getting Sakura in this tournament. At least she would have stood a fighting chance. Since she's fighting me, if she uses her Mind Body Switch Jutsu, then not even I can prevent her from shuffling through my haunted memories. It's how I came up with the Mazaki Forbidden Art: Rebirth of Forgotten Memories. A member of the Yamanaka clan had captured me and used the Mind Body Switch in hopes of making me relive my worst memories, but it backfired and he died from sheer terror and mental overload. Kosuke-jiji will likely try and prevent her from seeing all of my memories, but he cannot keep her curiosity at bay and she will eventually stumble onto some memories that are better off forgotten."

As the buzzer rang, everyone looked up to see the worst possible outcome happen.

'Ino Yamanaka versus Saito Mazaki'

Saito hesitantly walked down the steps, counting each one to keep his mind occupied. Seeing this, Ino's confidence soared, most likely having forgotten that Saito had decimated Sasuke with ease. Apparently, Asuma joined in Ino's joy, most likely wanting to see the young hanyou suffer. The instant the two were on the battlefield, Hayate looked over to the two of them and nodded, signaling the start of the match.

"I'll warn you once, Ino. If you use your Mind Body Switch on me, this match will end, though not in the way you will expect it to. I've alerted my team to the risk and they know what will happen. Give up, Ino. This will end much easier if you do."

Before Saito could think, he saw Ino casting the jutsu he warned her about and her body fell limp. He could feel his arm begin to rise, but he forced it down. "I warned you, Ino. Now you'll suffer the consequences." Saito looked at the proctor harshly. "You are not to disrupt this match. The fight has gone from the physical plane to the mental plane. I will meditate for a while until she finally decides to return to her own damn body. If you hear screams or if I look to be in pain, keep the match alive. Am I understood, Hayate?" With a cautious nod, Saito walked to the middle of the ring and began to meditate, a large purple aura surrounding his body as he did so.

**Saito's Mindscape...**

Ino had found herself in control for maybe 5 seconds, but had lost it and ended up in this place. All around her was a deep purple water that seemed heavier than normal water. Surrounding her were stone walls and steel pipes colored red and purple, though there was the occasional and rare tiny tube of blue. She'd only heard of a place like this once when her father mentioned it, but she never truly believed they existed.

"Hello, Ino Yamanaka," called out Saito's voice from all around her. "I see you decided not to heed my warning. It does not matter. Now that you are here, you will remain locked in my mindscape until either I or Kosuke-jiji believe you've learned your lesson. Now you get to see...the darker side of Konoha."

"What the hell do you mean, baka," Ino shouted. "Konoha's not a dark place! Konoha's good, kind, and benevolent!"

"**Ah. But that is where you are wrong, Lady Yamanaka," called out a smooth voice from just a few yards in front of her. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kosuke Koumori and Saito-kun is my descendant. For your remaining stay here, you will address me as Kosuke, Kosuke-sama, or Kosuke-jiji and I will be your guide into the enigma that is Saito Mazaki." As he walked forward, his wings were wrapped around him like a cloak, allowing his purple eyes and long black hair to be seen as they clashed with his abnormally pale skin tone. "Many dangers lurk in Saito's mind, so if you do not wish to be found by them, then you will follow me."**

"I've got a few questions about Saito-baka," called Ino as she ran to catch up to the young man.

"**Such as?"**

"Where did he get all of his techniques? They should belong to..." Before she got any farther, Kosuke stopped and spun around, giving her a wicked glare that set her in her place.

"**I have only three rules that you WILL abide by lest I drag you around this place on a chain. Rule number one: You will never reveal what you've seen here to anyone on the outside. This is your punishment for breaking into his mind after he explicitly warned you against such action. Rule number two: You will not mention that walking virus you call Sasuke Uchiha anywhere in Saito's mind nor will you attempt to gain leverage on Saito to give to said walking virus. Rule number three: If you try and leave this place by canceling your jutsu or break any of my rules, I will wrap your avatar in chains and drag you through each of Saito's most painful and haunting memories until you beg for mercy before releasing you back to that pathetic lump of flesh you call your body. Am I understood?"**

Ino wanted to protest, but found it difficult when Kosuke waved the chains around like a leash. "I understand."

"**Good. Then let us move forward." As the duo walked down the hall, doors of all shapes and sizes began to appear before them. Most of them were either metal with a doorknob or metal wrapped in chains with a giant rusty padlock. There was the rare pure wooden door, but she'd only seen two or three of them before they stopped. Kosuke placed his palm against the chained door and frowned to himself. "As you have seen, there are various intensities to the doors. They represent the various memories Saito has. The ones with padlocks and chains are the worst memories he's ever had. They became so horrible that he locked them away, never to be seen by his nor any mortal's eyes. Doors with chains and no lock are still rather painful for him to remember. Even I, who has lived in his mindscape since his birth, have grown quite fearful about what the chained doors contain that I refuse to approach them, much less use them. This memory, however, is one that you must see in accordance to your punishment. Simply place your hand against the door and push."**

Hesitantly, Ino did as she was told and a flash of light obstructed her vision. She stood there...in the middle of a group of people she had seen around the village until two years ago. They were all shouting praises as a man at the front held up a kunai with a human eye attached to its blade. Curious as to what was happening, she weaved through the crowd only to see a sight she'd never want to see again. There in front of her...

...was an old classmate named Naruto Uzumaki.

His arms were bound behind him in barbed wire as were his legs and blood and some other fluid dripped down onto his mouth. Slowly, he began to wake up before a shooting pain erupted in his, and her, wrists. She could feel the barbs as they dug into her wrists and ankles and watched as he glared at them defiantly.

"So the demon's finally awake," mumbled a somewhat drunken man as he waved what appeared to be a kunai with his eyeball pierced through the pupil in his face. "Lookie here. I managed to get a piece of the demon everyone!" Brandishing the blade and eye in the air, the crowd around him cheered.

As Naruto continued to glare at the villagers before him, Ino could feel herself being repulsed and disgusted by the crowd. Various cries of "Kill the demon spawn" or "Finish off the murdering bastard" rang through her ears. Today, it seemed, was definitely not her day. She knew she couldn't interact with the memories of another, but this...this was simply unbearable. Why did she have to see this...brutal torture. This had nothing to do with Saito Mazaki. Hell, she couldn't even identify him as anyone in the group.

"This is where the demon Kyuubi will finally die at the hands of those it had tortured for so many years!" Before she knew what was happening, a deep azure mist began rolling into the area, obscuring the vision of everyone, though she could see through as if the mist never existed.

With a whisper of 'Wind Style: Binding Release Jutsu', the strings of barbed wire were severed, allowing him to fall to the ground softly. She could feel it. His killing intent was rising along with his blood lust. She was almost afraid of what would happen next.

She watched as he grabbed the kunai with his destroyed eye still pierced through it before he removed the eye and dashed through the fog, slashing at the Achilles' tendons of every man and woman attending his supposed 'death' before dashing around again slashing at their throats, stomachs, wrists, stabbing at their spines and joints, and throwing devastatingly powerful punches from random spots. One by one, the crowd of almost thirty have been completely neutralized through either death or incapacitation. She had no idea that Naruto was so terrifying or strong. She always thought he was an idiot, but that was clearly proven wrong by this point.

Slowly walking up to the man, she could notice the azure fog dissipate, allowing the man to see what exactly he had wrought for his friends. As Naruto's silhouette drew closer to him, he tried to back away in fear only for pain to shoot through his spine, a reminder that he was likely permanently paralyzed from the neck down, the kunai in his spine digging further as he shook.

"So what was that little crack about me being the Kyuubi," Naruto asked as a clearly pissed off expression wrought his young face. "You should know, I'll only torture you longer if I don't like what I hear. I've often heard that being paralyzed is the second worst thing that could happen to a man. Do you really want to discover the first?"

"ALRIGHT," the man yelled, knowing full well what the demon before him spoke about. "Ten years ago, Yondaime-sama sealed the Kyuubi away into a human host. You! That's why we all despise you! Because you are the Kyuubi reborn!" Ino gasped. Was it true? Was that why her daddy told her to hurt him? Why everyone would glare at him as though he was the bane of everyone's lives? Naruto's remaining eye twitched before a dark red chakra was thrown from his body in the form of a cloak, terrifying her even more

.

Steam began to come from his open wounds, though his empty eye socket remained the same, healing the wounds until they became non-existent. "You IDIOT!" The red Naruto lifted the man up by his collar as he hung limply as a puppet with its strings cut. "I was going to let you live, but then you had to go and say bullshit like that! If a kunai is sealed within a scroll, the scroll does not become the kunai reborn. If you couldn't tell that I was not the Kyuubi, but a true human being, then you truly don't deserve to live." A chakra soaked claw pierced the man's neck, severing it completely before allowing the body and head to fall to the ground.

A light flashed once again and she now stood outside the chained door with Kosuke. Shock was etched on her face. Even she wasn't unaware of what Naruto finally implied at the end before she was so violently thrown out of the memory.

"**You have seen one memory, but there are many more left to go and this was the worst one I would dare show you. If I tried to show you anything else similar to that, I have no doubt that you would die from horror. What have you learned so far, Lady Yamanaka?"**

Ino swallowed a lump in her throat. The experience would last quite a while and would never leave her memory. "Naruto...was hated by everyone because they thought he was the Kyuubi, but we were all told that Kyuubi died fighting the Yondaime Hokage."

"Yes, you were," called Saito's voice. "However, Kyuubi is a being made of pure chakra. The moment even one blow would land, it would have healed before another could be made. It would have been impossible for anyone to kill off such a powerful and terrifying beast, so he chose to sacrifice his life to seal it away into Naruto when he was but a newborn. There was a law placed out by Sandaime Hokage that anyone who told him or anyone else in his generation about the truth...would be sentenced to death. Everyone who was old enough save a handful of people hated him for containing the burden...even his own mother." Saito's chuckle rang out though it sounded dry and hollow. "And to think, his father died with hopes that his son would be a hero only for his mother to take his younger sister to a different country because she was him as the demon who possessed her son's body and stole the image of the Fourth Hokage." Tears left Ino's eyes as she silently wept for the young man whose academy life she turned into a living hell. "Sadly, he died that day and I decided to pick up where he left off."

Ino paused for a moment as his words rang through her mind. "What do you mean by that. 'He died and I decided to pick up where he left off'?"

"**That question is easily answered by the next door we're visiting. While not as intense as the last door, it is still quite gruesome."**

As the duo marched to the next door, Ino's avatar was forced to watch Naruto's body change until it matched Saito's own physique perfectly. It was, as Kosuke said, gruesome, but grotesque was a word she preferred to describe it. She now understood the meaning behind the riddle. Where the knuckle-headed idiot died, the quiet, intelligent, powerful, and mysterious Saito Mazaki was born in his place. He simply played the fool in the academy in order to get them to underestimate him. She saw how he and an ANBU had detained Mizuki after he turned traitor and tried to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing. She saw how he met Haku and Zabuza on their mission to Wave, which Sakura fabricated the instant she saw her, as well as the side mission to save Tenten, one of his current fiances, as well as an army of women who had been captured and used. She watched as he healed them one at a time, never looking at them in a perverse way as he restored their virginity. That led them up to the Chunin Exams, which they were in the middle of taking.

"I'm so sorry, Saito," she cried as tears fell down her face, knowing she was one of the many who tormented him as a kid. "I now know why you don't like Sasuke and I'm not quite sure I care for him either after everything I've seen."

"You know...Shino's admired you for quite a while," said Saito's avatar as he finally showed up and now sat in front of Ino. "I know you're afraid of bugs, but why not get to know him as a person rather than know him for what he holds? He and I...we're very much alike in that we are both misunderstood for what we contain. Sometimes, it can be incredibly lonely and you tend to miss the things in life that others take for granted, such as friendship and companionship."

Ino sported a somewhat scared expression, but nodded. "Yeah. I guess...none of us really payed much attention to Shino in the Academy except for you and Hinata. After these stupid preliminaries are over, I'll ask him out to lunch. Alright?" Saito smiled and nodded.

"Go ahead, Ino. You're free to leave. Just...don't try that again. Okay?" Ino giggled before her avatar faded from sight.

**Real World...**

Everyone could hear feminine cries of pain and anguish, but the proctor was told not to interfere in the match until the Yamanaka woke up. Saito's own purple chakra seemed to grow as his anger reached its peak before dying down into a dull roar. Minutes turned into an hour before the Yamanaka showed signs of her jutsu being canceled. The two opponents stood back up, though Ino seemed to be a bit out of it when she stumbled slightly. Ino looked into Saito's eyes before raising her hand. "I, Ino Yamanaka, give up. There's no way I can beat him after what happened in there."

"Winner: Saito Mazaki. Will the last contestant come down for their fight." The board now read 'Kiba Inuzuka versus Saito Mazaki'. Ino walked past Kiba, giving him a glare before walking up to where Hinata, Shino, and Tenten were sitting.

"Hey, Shino," Ino said before suddenly finding her feet interesting. "I was wondering...if, you know, you'd like to...catch a bite to eat with me after this last fight?" She tried to look up, but only blushed a little bit more as she tried to avoid looking into his eyes.

Shino himself was fighting a rather large blush while cursing Saito out in his mind with words that made his own insects turn away in shame and embarrassment. "Of course, Ino-san. I would enjoy dining out in your company. Where would you like to go?"

Ino hummed a moment or two before snapping her fingers. "How about Ichiraku's Ramen Hut? The folks there are really nice, I heard."

"Ramen? I thought you were going on that diet still," Shino thought out loud.

"Well, truth be told, I saw some things in Saito's mind that I wasn't really proud of and I learned that, so long as I train properly, there's no point in going on those civilian diets. So I figured that I'd start off fresh at a place an old friend of mine used to go to as a kid."

"Don't you mean new friend," Shino said amusingly, getting a chuckle from the blond-haired woman.

"Yeah. I guess so since I never really knew him in the first place back then."

Shino took Ino's hand in his own before leading her to the wall that had no obstructions preventing them from seeing the match. "Come, Ino. If you want to see who my Captain is, then you will have to watch him fight. After all, warriors get to know one another through battle rather than words."

Kiba and Akamaru stood ready to fight their opponent. They grinned when they found out they would get him after he already had to fight, though that match was more mental than physical. "I can't believe it, Akamaru. We get the dead last and we get him after he got run down by Ino. This is our lucky day!"

Saito chuckled to himself. "Is that what you really think? Even if I had to fight Sasuke and Neji before our match, I'd still be capable of thrashing you into oblivion."

"Then why not put your girlfriend where your mouth is? If I win this fight, Hinata's my mate! If I lose...well, I won't." Saito's Blood Myst Eye was twitching violently before he turned his eyes to Hinata who looked ready to kill his opponent.

"Is that all she is to you? A prize to be won? A piece of arm candy to show off to your friends? Do you even know her as a person? This is why we've never gotten along, Kiba. You think women are some kind of toy. You get it, play with it, then throw it away when something better comes along. You know nothing about a woman's needs nor do you know how women think. This is why you'll end up just like Kakashi. The only action you'll get is from some porno written by a guy old enough to be your grandfather who gets just as much action as you do."

A few of the female competitors giggled, though some men outright laughed at the joke. When Hayate started the match, Kiba tossed a soldier pill to Akamaru before he transformed into a Kiba clone. "All Fours Jutsu," Kiba called out as he and Akamaru crouched low to the ground, their chakra radiating across their body and their nails lengthening. "Fang Over Fang!" The two Kibas began to spin around and charged toward Saito who stood completely still. When a dust cloud appeared at the area where Kiba and his partner had struck, a gust of wind evacuated the dust causing the crowd to gasp in awe. In both of Saito's hands was a single spinning tornado. In one hand was Kiba while the other held the transformed Akamaru. On Saito's back was a single bat-like wing.

"Is this it," he said, his voice calm and cold like a snowstorm. "I expected more of a scrap, but I've got business to take care of after this. Be thankful I'm not going to be pulling out my Seismic Toss on you two. That's reserved for Uchiha bashing only. I've got something even better for you two." Another wing sprouted from his back, causing everyone to grow silent as he flew into the space above the arena. He looked down and smirked to himself. "Oh yeah. We're plenty high enough now. Time for you two to see...the reason why you should be afraid of the dark." He tossed the duo at the ground as fast as he could before summoning the largest cage of bones and shadows that he'd ever created. "Eternal Darkness. Bend Through Time. You Favorite Children Hear Your Rhyme. I summon you from the pits of hell. NOW DEATH IS HERE SO RING YOUR BELL!" A deep and foreboding bell chimes in the background as a giant pool begins to develop beneath Saito's hovering form. "NOW COME FORTH AND RISE! MUSTAKRAKISH!"

A deep, blood red hand rises from the pool of shadows before clutching onto the edge and pulling a giant body up. Another hand appears, though this one holds a giant hammer in its gnarled fingers. As the two push against the ground, the head of a great and terrifying beast appears, horns and other such atrocities adorning its face like ornaments. Its teeth were crooked and yellow, but sharper than any sword. As soon as it spotted Saito, its eyes moved to the giant towering shadow. "Now...ring the bell, Mustakrakish. Ring the bell and show these fools why they should fear the darkness within their own hearts." Hoisting his hammer into the sky, the giant monster swung down the hammer and struck the darkness, shattering the bell and showing Kiba, paler than normal and a darkness in his eyes that seemed unnatural while Akamaru lay there...silent and still to the world. As Saito hovered down to the duo, he could sense a change in them that was much needed. "Now, Kiba. Do you see what your reckless hormones and senseless desires wrought unto you? Do you see the price of your lust?"

Kiba was silent, but the answer was clear. "It is a sad thing that your young puppy had to share that genjutsu with you. He...was truly innocent, yet was punished for your sins."

"I'm sorry," the young man whimpered as he crawled closer to Akamaru. "I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this mess, Akamaru. This was all my fault." Saito walked over to Akamaru and picked him up in his arms before turning away from Kiba.

"Good job, boy," he whispered into the young pup's ear. "You played along very nicely. Kiba's learned a valuable lesson from this match and you played a major role in it." The puppy seemed to regain some of its light and reached up before licking Saito's cheek. "I'm sorry I had to put you in the Reaper's Forbidden Cage of Eternal Darkness, but we had to make it look convincing. You two should recover from this in the next week or so. Alright?"

Akamaru barked softly before walking over to Kiba and licking his cheek before cuddling up into his chest. "Call it, proctor."

"Winner: Saito Mazaki." Everyone was silent. Nobody knew what had just happened...except that Saito nearly summoned a giant demon to destroy the cage holding Kiba and Akamaru that he created out of pure darkness. Everyone watching was filled with fear except for Hinata, Tenten, Kurenai, and Shino. It was the most gruesome display of strength anyone had ever seen and even Hayate seemed a bit paler than before.

The instant everything was done, Ibiki, Anko, Sarutobi, and a few ANBU and Jonin appeared at the center of the stage where the 11 genin who passed were waiting for their next set of instructions while everyone else waited upstairs.

"Very good and congratulations on passing through the preliminary round. Now that your numbers have been reduced significantly enough, we can proceed with the Third Exam. However, there will be a one month training period between now and the final portion of the exam. We will be having various daimyos and other important personnel that will, depending on how strong a showing, will determine how much our economy will suffer or flourish. If you are a poor showing, then you will receive fewer missions from the daimyos of other countries, while a good showing will improve that number. It is important that you train hard and arrive at the new arena at the designated area that your teachers will tell you after the month of training. You must be in prime physical health in order to prove yourself worthy of the title Chunin."

"Now, to determine who gets to fight whom, you will all pick a number. That number will determine your fighting order. When you pick your number, you will say it loud enough for Anko to hear you."

As the bucket went around, Kankuro got first dibs.

"2"

"3," called Saito.

"6," spoke Temari.

"1," said Shino stoically.

"11," muttered Shikamaru. "I got seeded."

"10," called Gaara, a crazed look in his eye.

"4," called Kana with a smirk.

"5," said Tenten, though having to fight a wind user would be hard for her.

"7," called Neji.

"8," said Hinata bravely before glaring at Neji.

"9," called Sasuke, glad that he was fighting Gaara off the bat.

"Alright. Tournament rules apply, so here's how your fights will turn out."

'Shino Aburame versus Kankuro of the Desert'

'Saito Mazaki versus Kana Uzumaki Namikaze'

'Tenten Mazaki versus Temari of the Desert'

'Neji Hyuuga versus Hinata Mazaki'

'Sasuke Uchiha versus Gaara of the Desert'

'Shikamaru versus Winner of Round 3'

"Good. Now go and prepare for the task ahead. Dismissed," called out the Third before everyone in the arena disappeared.


End file.
